Predator: Child of the Hunt
by Zillah 91
Summary: After seeing his parents murdered in a gang war, Drake is taken in by a Yautja warrior. An epic sage of power, love and honour awaits the young warrior... COMPLETE
1. Eleven Years Ago

OK, this is my first attempt at an Alien/Predator fan fiction. I've had this in mind for years, as my friend and I have spent many an hour thinking up character and events for this story and hopefully it will be to your liking. It's the story of Drake, and young boy whose parents are murdered, but he is taken in by a Yautja and must adapt to the ways of the galaxy's most nastiest hunters, and… well you'll see. Hopefully you'll like it.

I've seen a few stories with similar concepts, but I swear to God I'm not trying to rip anyone off! Also a few of my dates might be off, regarding the destruction of Earth in the _Aliens_ comics.

Predator, Yautja and all related characters are © 20th Century Fox.

* * *

ELEVEN YEARS AGO

_Earth Colony LV-359._

_2276._

_Twelve years after Earth Destruction._

"Where are you?"

The thug shot a spray of bullets from the assault rifle. They cut through the air as he wildly aimed around the alley.

"Jesus…Oh man…"

Terrified beyond words, the thug ran out into the street.

The scene in the alley was one of nightmarish proportions. Five gang members were hanging from a fire escape, dead. But what was truly sickening was what happened to them.

Their skin had been ripped from their bodies, leaving the muscle and flesh exposed, raw and covered in blood. They were eviscerated- something had torn their organs straight out.

But the worst part was what was hanging them up. Tied round their feet and to the fire escape, were their intestines.

From the top of the fire escape, something watched the last one flee from his life. A shimmering mass of light seemed to be moving through the air…

The street was just as bad. A sudden explosion sent a police car flying through the air onto the top of another car. Gunfire was filling the streets as the two gangs continually fired. Dozens of gang members, police officers and civilians were dropping in pools of blood.

It seemed like an eternity before the thug finally reached others of his gang.

"Yo! Where you been, you…"

"Shut up man…it's after me…Oh Jesus…"

"Dude, calm down! Now that the…"

"I don't know but…El Diablo…they're dead…all of 'em… it just killed them…god, there was nothing…makes me sick just to think about it…"

"What is it?" One of the gang members asked as he reloaded, "The Voodoo-pricks? Or those god-damn drug…"

"Shut up, man! Ain't no-one messes with Los Matadores!"

One of them suddenly looked up onto a balcony that overlooked the street.

"What in the f…"

The Shimmering suddenly leapt down, as the sound of metal sliding out was heard. It stopped in the middle of them as they whipped out their guns.

"Shit! What is that?"

"Who gives? Just shoot the…"

What looked like an arm suddenly swung round as a pair of blades shot out, cutting two through of them. With the blades still extended, it turned to face the last one from the alley.

"El Diablo…El Diablo…"

Suddenly, a few drops of water fell on top of the shimmering object. The man looked on in horror as the electricity faded, revealing the face of his attacker.

It stood eight feel tall, half-covered in metal armour and with brown-yellow skin. Blades were fixed to its wrist and a massive cannon was suspended on its shoulder. A metal mask covered its face and its hair was in thick black dread locks.

Desperately, the gang member reached for his gun. He aimed straight up, but in an instant the blades were upon him, slicing down through his chest.

The rain began to fall heavily as the gang war continued to rage. Amidst the chaos, no one noticed the hunter as it skinned its prey.

Not far down the street, the chaos was even worse. Another cop car exploded in a hellish fireball as another, its tired shot, veered out of control into a pair of SWAT officers.

"We need backup!" One of the officers yelled, seconds before a hail of bullets sliced through him.

Scarface continued to watch the unfolding chaos. With the rain now pouring down, his stealth no longer worked. Therefore, he would have to go for the heads-on approach.

A group of Les Serviteurs, otherwise known as the Jamaican Voodoo Posse, cheered hysterically as another group of cops fell before the waves of gunfire.

They suddenly looked up in terror as the demon leapt toward them, a strange, jagged spear suddenly extending. It landed in the middle of them, swinging the spear round as one of them, who managed to escape, whipped out his gun and aimed at the monster.

The demon suddenly whipped out another gun. This one shot out a net, which took its hapless target flying into a wall as the corners dug into it. The net began to contract, slicing through the skin, as the attacker stabbed the spear right into his heart.

Suddenly, a missile shot into the vehicles that served as Les Serviteurs' protection and blew it to smithereens. A pair of massive robots unleashed a hail of machine gun fire, blasting through the gang members. The SWAT team had finally called out the Exosuits.

Behind them, another group of civilians were fleeing. As the gang members scattered before the power of the machines, one of them was shot in the stomach. As he fell, his gun suddenly went off, a spray of bullets flying toward the running family.

There were three of them. A young man, his wife, and a small boy. He couldn't have been older than about 5.

After a split second, the bullets hit.

The man and woman were dead before they hit their ground.

The child could only stand there in horror as one of Les Serviteurs, out of his mind of drugs, pulled out a gun, laughing hysterically.

Scarface looked on at what was about to happen. These…criminals…the human equivalent of Bad Bloods…had just slaughtered a family and were about to kill a defenceless child.

Without hesitating, Scarface suddenly leapt through the swarm of thugs, cutting them apart as he whipped out another weapon. As he fired, a small spear suddenly shot out, slicing through the gang member.

The boy immediately turned and fled, heading down an alley to the side of him.

It took over five hours for the SWAT Teams to restore order. The death toll was in the hundreds.

Scarface was there the whole time. All through the night, until the Police finally arrived.

Later, in that alley, the boy was still there. He suddenly looked up, seeing something step toward him through the rain. He backed against the wall at the sight of the demon stepping toward him, tears streaming down his face.

Finally, the demon came to a stop.

Something in its mouth suddenly clicked. Finally, a voice came from behind the mask…

"Do not be afraid."

The boy was still clearly terrified.

"I will not hurt you."

The boy finally spoke:

"My mom…my dad…"

Scarface was unsure of what to say to the child.

"They're dead…" The boy sobbed.

"What is your name?" Scarface finally asked.

"D…Drake…"

The creature nodded. "My name is Kura'Tha."

It was at that moment that Scarface came to a decision, looking down at the helpless child.

"Please…" The child cried, "Don't…don't hurt…"

"I will not hurt you. I…will help you."

* * *

Thus begins Drake's tale! I know this tale starts with Drake as a kid, but the main event will take place, as the chapter title suggests, Eleven years after this, when Drake is 16. The first few chapters will concern his life, and a particular event in a few chapters that will cause another major change in the boy's life.

If you're wondering why I keep referring to Kura'Tha as Scarface, the answer is coming. (Though it shouldn't be too hard to figure out.)

Please R&R! If you don't like it, I can promise that this story is going to get better!


	2. The Child's Fate

Well, time for another chapter! Glad everyone seemed to like the first instalment of this tale! Anyway, I'm going to take a while going through Drake's early life, but hopefully it will be entertaining. I'll just deal with the main points.

Also, I think my friend (who until such time as it is deemed appropriate for details to be disclosed, shall remain anonymous) deserves some credit for this story, for coming up with the idea and helping me develop the story.

So anyway, enjoy!

Yautja, Predator and all related characters and trademarks are © 20th Century Fox.

Author's Note: > Translated from Yautja language.

* * *

THE CHILD'S FATE

"Kura'Tha, what you are suggesting is radical, dangerous, unorthodox and..."

"Elders..."

Scarface and three Elders were standing in the clan temple. The walls were adorned with murals and carved images of Yautja, Xenomorphs and many other monstrous creatures.

In one of the corners sat the boy Scarface had saved a few days ago, unable to understand what was being said by the alien warriors before him.

"What else is to be done with this boy?"

"That is no concern of ours. No humans have ever grown under the tutelage of a Yautja…"

"Show me a law that says this boy cannot be the first!"

The Elders were silent for a moment.

"There is…no law against your intentions… " One of them admitted. "But you cannot expect us to allow something like this so lightly. "

"What else can we do?"

"Kura'Tha, this is not as simple as you make it seem! The Yautja have barely had any contact with these Earthers in thousands of years. How do we know the boy could even survive amongst a Yautja clan?"

"How do we know he could not, if we do not try?"

"Kura'Tha, why does the boy's fate so concern you, in any case?"

Scarface was silent for a moment.

"…It was my prey that murdered this youngling's family. They are dead because I failed to destroy those who would have murdered them. Had I acted more quickly, they may have lived."

"You blame yourself for something for which you could not possibly be responsible."

"I may not have put my hand to this boy's parents, but my failure to act makes me at least partially responsible for their fate."

At this, the Elders were silent, so Scarface continued:

"Elders, as a Yautja warrior, I am bound by our code of honour. You know this. If this youngling has no protection, it is at least partly my fault and I must take responsibility…"

"Do not lecture us on our laws, Kura'Tha. You must understand that this is a complex and…unique situation."

"Are you saying that our laws of honour do not extend to…"

"You are twisting my words, Kura'Tha! But…you are correct. This is an intelligent being of which we speak."

"Elders, we Yautja started the civilisation of humans eons ago. It was our technology that first allowed them to reach the stars. But still, these humans…they are just starting out. They are capable of more than they imagine. This…this child…I sense the spirit of the warrior within him. You have said it yourself; no human has grown under the tutelage of a Yautja. But perhaps this child _can_ be the first. Perhaps this could be the humans' first step toward become a great warrior race."

For a long, anxious moment, the Elders remained silent, contemplating what Scarface had said.

"Very well," They said at last, " But the boy is too young to be raised amongst Yautja. You must remember that these Earthers are fragile beings."

"I am aware of that, Elders."

"But…you are right in what you say. We shall consider this. Return in one hour, and we shall make our decision."

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An hour later, Scarface again stood in the temple, as the Elders slowly entered the room.

"We have considered this matter long and hard," One of them began, "And the decision has been made."

After a few anxious seconds, the second Elder stepped forward.

"We have decided…to allow you to raise this child as a Yautja…but not on the home world. The boy shall be raised on his own planet, but, after convening with the Council of Ancients…"

Scarface was stunned. He had known this to be an unusual situation, but…the Ancients?

"…We have decided," The Elder continued, " That in our eyes, and theirs, he shall be treated as any other Yautja. He is now of the age to begin his training. As with all Yautja, in ten years he must return for the Kiande Amedha trial. But he is still to live amongst his kind until that day."

The third and final Elder stepped forward, but with a grave tone in his voice.

"But if either you or the boy reveal the presence of the Yautja to other humans…the punishment shall be the same as that of any Yautja. "

The first one stepped forth again.

" And now," He said, " All that is needed, Kura'Tha, is for you to agree to these terms."

Scarface nodded.

" I agree."

* * *

And so it begins! I'll be jumping a few years into the future before the next chapter. 

Also, in case anyone else wants to know, the "English" Scarface was speaking before wasn't English- it was a translator built into his mask.

I know, this chapter was kind of short. But there will be longer chapters, I promise.


	3. A hunt gone wrong

Man, this story seems to be doing well…6 reviews already!

Anyway, this chapter will be jumping about 7 years into the future, to the point where Drake is 12 years old. The next chapter will be a major change in Drake's life.

In response to **xDarkmasterx**'s review (So no-one else asks), yes, there will be Xenomorphs in this story. So that's good news for fans of the murderous, acid-gobbing bugs. The bad news for fans of the murderous, acid-gobbing bugs is that they won't be appearing for a while yet. But there is some stuff happening. I'm going to try and put some real emotion into this story (But not quite yet).

Yautja, Predator and all related characters and trademarks are © 20th Century Fox.

* * *

A HUNT GONE WRONG

_7 Years Later_

The night wind whipped coldly through the air as Drake crouched silently on the rooftop. He looked out over the streets below and up at the night sky. He always loved the night…the light that only the night could produce.

He had been stalking his prey…his first prey…across half the city until it stopped here. Now, at last, he could claim his first trophy after 7 years of training.

His prey was below in an alley; a young, Spanish man surrounded by several others and carrying a large briefcase.

"You bring the stuff?" One of them asked.

The man nodded. "Hell, yeah…Coke, Hemp…you name it."

"Nice."

The gangsters turned and entered the old, derelict warehouse. After watching them head inside, Drake quickly jumped down into the alley, unwittingly landing in a puddle, which had the unfortunate effect of shorting out his Stealth.

After a brief surge of electricity, Drake became visible.

By now, he was twelve years old, but was clearly growing into a fairly tall boy. He was already slightly muscular. His hair- not yet braided- was a dark brown. He wore simplistic Yautja armour and a mask.

After a surge of energy, another Yautja- this one over 8 feet tall- appeared next to him.

"A careless mistake. You should wait for that to come back online."

"I don't need it." Drake extended a pair of razor-edges wristblades.

"Don't be foolish, Drake. I know you're excited about your first hunt, but…"

"I can handle it!"

"Drake, wait!"

Drake leapt up onto a fire escape and in through a window.

Grunting in his frustration at the boy's strong-headedness, Scarface re-activated his Stealth and leapt up through the window.

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One of the gang members was currently upstairs when he heard something running about. Something suddenly darted between a pair of crates.

"What the…"

Taking out a handgun, the gangster walked up to the crates. As soon as he looked in, something suddenly leapt out and struck him in the chest. He went flying back, straight into a wall, as that something came to a stop.

He looked up to see one of the most bizarre sights to ever meet his eyes.

It was a fairly small figure, garbed in some sort of armour and a metal mask covering its face.

The bizarre thing was its size- it didn't look anything over 12 years old- maybe 13 at most.

"…The…"

He instinctively whipped out a handgun, aimed at the figure and fired.

In a flash, Drake had ducked, and, wristblades extended, thrust forward, impaling the man right in the chest. After a brief second, he pulled them back out.

Scarface had indeed trained the boy well. Drake stood there for a few seconds, before something kicked the door down. Three other gang members burst in, brandishing handguns.

"What the hell…it's just some damn kid!"

Drake instinctively leapt to the side, throwing a large disc through the air as he did so. Jagged, razor-sharp blades shot out from the sides as it sliced through two of them.

In the time that took, Drake had jumped to the top of a stack of crates and leapt up. The last one prepared to fire a handgun, but Drake already had out another weapon. A small spear shot out, bursting right through his attacker.

"And Scarface said this would be hard," Drake sighed as he ran through the corridor.

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"You OK, Man? You look kinda jumpy…"

"Just feeling weird," Drake's target shrugged, "I feel like something's been following me."

"Nah, you're just paranoid," One of the others shrugged, "Just have some of this…"

"Asshole!" The gang leader yelled, "What do you think you're doing? That's the god-damn merchandise, you…"

"What the hell is that?"

From the ledge above them, Drake suddenly leapt out, wristblades extended, hurtling down toward the gang members.

"Whoa! What the…"

Across the room, Scarface remained hidden.

"Oh no…"

Drake landed in the middle of them, spinning round with his wristblades extended, cutting through two of the gangsters.

However, before Drake could do anything further, another of them whipped out a handgun and fired a shot into Drake's side. The boy cried out in pain, clutching his hand as the remaining three took out their guns.

"What the…it's just a…"

"Who cares? Just shoot it!"

A sudden, deep roar diverted their attention.

From atop a nearby crate, a huge, 8-foot-tall, armour-covered creature leapt forward, extending a jagged spear as a burst of white-hot plasma shot from the cannon on its shoulder. It hit one of them in a massive explosion as the monster hit the ground, stabbing another one through the stomach.

The last one, the supplier, instantly turned and ran. Still on his knees, Drake took out the Speargun and fired, the spear striking its target in the back of the head.

Scarface ignored the kills, running to Drake's side and helping him up.

"Drake! Are you…"

Scarface looked down at Drake's side. The cut was deep, blood pouring down Drake's side, already covering Scarface's hand.

"Damn it…"

Drake finally lost consciousness, and Scarface barely caught him before he hit the floor.

"Drake…No…"

* * *

So, Drake is seriously wounded! Don't miss the next few chapters for some important changes to the story. After that there's a lot of emotion going to happen. Hopefully I can get to the Xenomorphs by the 10th chapter. Sorry, Alien fans out there, but there's a lot of storytelling to be done here!

Hope you liked the character of Drake- he's meant to come off as pretty reckless and hard-headed; the kind who always rushes into things without thinking…and now look where it's gotten him!


	4. The Transfusion

I did promise that Chapter 4 would be up soon. Glad the last chapter was well received, so here comes another instalment of Drake's epic tale. Enjoy, and don't forget to R&R!

Yautja, Predator and all related characters and trademarks are © 20th Century Fox.

* * *

THE TRANSFUSION

"There is nothing we can do, Kura'Tha."

"What?" Scarface was clearly angered toward the Elder before him. "This ship is almost filled with Medicomps…"

"Yes, but Medicomps are only designed to heal Yautja. Human biology is radically different."

"It could still…"

"And the boy has lost too much blood. A Medicomp cannot replenish lost blood, Kura'Tha."

"There has to be something we can do."

"The Medicomp could repair the damage caused by the weapon…but that still leaves the problem of all the blood he lost."

"What about a transfusion?"

"From whom? There is nowhere near enough time to get him to a hospital."

Scarface hesitated. "What about me?"

The Elder was taken aback. "What…Kura'Tha…that is insane!"

"Could it work?"

"…We have no way of knowing. Even if it did, there is no telling what could happen."

"But it could work. Yautja DNA is genetically superior to that of a human."

"Exactly. We need to consider the consequences, Kura'Tha. If we introduced Yautja DNA into his system. "

"Either that, or we allow Drake to die."

"Kura'Tha…do you understand the risks?"

"Yes. I do. But there is no other option. This is his only chance."

"…Very well. We will use your blood."

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Scarface watched in silence as the bright green blood spiralled through the tube, into Drake's chest.

The Elder stood there, watching the machinery as the boy laid on the table, unconscious.

"Let us pray that this works. Kura'Tha…"

* * *

Yeah, that was a short chapter, I know. But the next one will be longer…and more interesting. There's a big twist coming to the story. 


	5. Side Effects

Hoo-boy, are you in for a shock. Unless you're **xDarkmasterx**, who's already figured it out.

Anyway, this chapter is a MAJOR part of the story, so enjoy, and check back soon (ish) for the next instalment.

Yautja, Predator and all related characters and trademarks are © 20th Century Fox.

* * *

SIDE-EFFECTS

"How do you feel?"

Kura'Tha had a concerned expression as Drake lay on the bed.

"I fell fine now," Drake shrugged, "What happened to me back there?"

"I warned you not to rush into things, Drake. You wound up getting badly wounded. We had to bring you back here."

"Can I still hunt?"

"Yes…but…not for a few days?"

"What? Why?"

"Well, we managed to repair the wound, but…you lost a great deal of blood. Because of that, we had to perform a transfusion?"

"So who's blood…"

"Mine."

Drake was stunned for a moment. "So that means…"

Kura'Tha finished for him. "Half the blood in your system is now Yautja blood."

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Scarface stood next to another Yautja in the corner as Drake slept. It was now well past Midnight.

"You should get some sleep, Kura'Tha."

"I suppose so." Was the only answer.

"Kura'Tha, we will see how the boy is in the morning."

Scarface sighed. Truth be told, the day's events had exhausted him more than any battle he had ever fought. And since he was over 300 years old, that was saying something.

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The sun crept up slowly the following morning. Deep in the sewers under the city sat the Yautja scout ship that, for the last 7 years, Drake and Scarface had called home.

Drake woke up slowly, eventually sitting up to look around the room.

Something suddenly grabbed his attention. He looked sharply up as he seemed to hear a pair of voices…at the other end of the hallway. Blinking, his eyes suddenly landed on something on the wall- a single drop of water!

Shocked, Drake concentrated on the voices until they entered the room. It was Scarface, talking with one of the Elders.

"Drake," Scarface realised, "You are awake!"

Drake nodded. "But…why were you talking so loudly?"

Scarface looked confused. "We weren't…"

Scarface and the Elder briefly looked toward each other in shock and realisation.

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Drake slowly followed Scarface and the Elder into the middle of the ship.

"I don't understand," Drake, asked, "Why are we in here? I thought you said I couldn't train for…"

"I know. Just…take this."

Scarface handed Drake a fairly thick metal pole.

"Drake," He instructed, "I want you to try and bend that."

"What?"

"Just do it. Put all your strength into it."

Shrugging, Drake gulped and, placing one hand firmly on each end of the pole, began to push the ends down. As he grunted from the effort, before his eyes, the pole suddenly bent almost into a circle.

Drake dropped the pole in amazement as the two Yautja looked on in shock.

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"It is just as we thought," The Elder sighed, "There are indeed side-effects from the transfusion."

"We can see that," Scarface answered, "But what are the effects? And how did this happen?"

"Clearly," The Elder sighed, "The Yautja DNA introduced to his system has reacted with his DNA. Since Yautja DNA is genetically superior, it has clearly affected the boy's own genetic structure. It isn't enough to fully turn him into a Yautja…but it has clearly enhanced his own DNA. According to the tests so far, Drake's senses, speed, strength and agility have all increased."

"So he is as strong as a Yautja?"

"Not quite. But since Drake is still growing, there is no telling how strong he may become. In any case, the boy has clearly become…something much more than human."

* * *

Which makes Drake a sort of half-human-half-Yautja. That was the original idea, but I wanted a good origin section and the thought of a Yautja and a human getting it on is just too disgusting. So I went with this idea. Hope you liked it! 

Anyway, in the next chapter I can really kick this story into high gear. We'll be skipping ahead to when Drake is 16.

Well, I'm done for now. Mainly because it's 10:00 PM right now, and after having exams all week, followed by a light night yesterday and an early morning today, I am absolutely exhausted. So feel free to review, and I'll post the next chapter ASAP.

EDIT: I was going to post this on Saturday night, but for some reason, every time I tried I got a "request timed out" or "error." Sorry about that, and I hope this was worth the wait.


	6. A midsummer night

Man, I am getting so many reviews on this story…anyway; glad you all liked the "side-effects" in the last chapter. Anyway, now I've got the background story out of the way, it's time for what you all came here to see…cool Predator Action!

There's also an unfortunate/humorous surprise in store for Drake in this chapter. I'll bet you didn't see this coming, but it's one of the few major points remaining in Drake's life.

And a note on the Xenomorphs- they will probably be appearing somewhere between Chapters 10 and 12, maybe sooner, maybe later. But when they show up, they will be in a good number of chapters (hopefully). So that's at least some good news, Xeno-fans.

One last thing- this starts the main part of this story, when Drake is 16 years old.

Yautja, Predator and all related characters are © 20th Century Fox.

* * *

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S MASSACRE

The night was clear and hot as Drake crouched on the edge of the rooftop. God, he loved the summer…even at night.

It was hot now even for Midsummer. Drake looked down into the alley as the car containing his prey stopped and a young man stepped out, carrying a large case.

_Just like my first hunt,_ Drake thought, _only it's a hell of a lot hotter tonight!_

The man was quickly greeted by about six others, all of them heavily armed. Drake looked down intently as they started talking, slowly unsheathing his spear and making sure he was still cloaked.

Finally, they turned and headed into a derelict building to one side.

Quickly and silently, Drake jumped down into the alley, landing in front of the entrance the thugs had used.

Inside, one of them quickly looked round.

"OK, the meeting's in a few minutes. Let's go."

The gangsters started to head around through the inside of the building. Drake quickly started to move around the structure.

One of the thugs, still brandishing his weapon, looked out into the streets. A pair of cars were lining up in the alley.

Tonight was a meeting of the gang members in those two cars. However, the gang Drake was tailing was planning to take advantage of this and move in on the other gangs' turf.

The two gangs began to enter from opposite sides of the building. Drake watched silently from the rafters as they approached each other.

_When the prey fight among themselves,_ Scarface had always told him, _The cunning hunter will turn the situation to his own advantage._

The gangsters approached each other and started talking.

After a few seconds, it happened.

Members of the third gang suddenly leapt out, opening fire with their assault rifles.

"Jesus Shit!" One of the gangsters cried as the bullets sliced through him. The other two gangs started firing wildly, cutting down most of their attackers as another one of the third gang suddenly whipped out a shotgun, shooting three of them at once.

After a few more seconds, two-thirds of the gangsters were dead on all sides.

_Now!_

Drake suddenly leapt down from the rafters, firing the Speargun in his hand as three of the spears shot out, slicing straight through three of the gang members.

As they all cried out in shock, Drake landed in their midst, striking out around him with the Glaive as the blood sprayed in a red circle around him.

A gang member behind him suddenly took out the Shotgun and fired. By the time it took the weapon to fire, Drake had leapt toward him, thrusting the Glaive forward as it sliced through the gangster.

Another one, behind him, instantly leapt forward, brandishing a crowbar. Drake whirled round and grabbed the man's arm, twisting it away and, as the bones snapped, he stabbed straight through his stomach with his Wristblades.

At last, Drake stopped, with the gangsters lying dead around him. It took him only a few minutes to tear away the skin from his kills.

Drake looked up at the gangsters, as they hung dead from the Rafters. He turned round silently and walked toward the door.

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It took Drake a while to head through the Sewers until he came to a large, open area. In front of him was a magnificent Yautja shuttle.

He made his way on board, heading to the room, which contained the weapons. He hung up the Glaive, Speargun, Wristblades and Plasmacaster, and removed his mask.

Now sixteen years old, Drake had grown tall and strong. His years of intense training had served him well. He had dark, brown hair and brown eyes.

Behind him, a much larger demon entered the room. The Yautja's face was a dark orange-brown, but, instead of a right eye, it had a massive, grey scar. This made it extremely obvious why Kura'Tha also had the name "Scarface."

"Drake," he greeted his adopted son, "I see you're back."

Drake nodded. "It was a good hunt."

"Drake, I need to talk to you about something."

"Sure," Drake shrugged.

"Well, the Elders have decided that, even though at least half of your DNA is Yautja, you are nonetheless human."

"Uh-huh…"

"And, as they said, you would have to live among humans."

"Yeah, but I go up to the streets all the time, and…"

"Yes, but…now they have something different in mind."

"What?"

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"WHAT?"

"I said, Drake, that you have to go to School."

"What?…But…"

"It's not my idea, Drake." Scarface paused. "OK, so it is my idea."

"But…"

"No buts."

"Oh, come on! I've never been to School, and…"

"And the Elders say you have to, since you couldn't go to a Yautja school."

"Well, what's wrong with being home educated?"

"Nothing. But you need to learn to better disguise yourself within large numbers of humans. This is a good chance."

"This is insane…"

"No it isn't. And it's too late now, anyway. You start in two days."

* * *

I thought that'd be a surprise! So; how will a half-human, half-Yautja cope in the war zone that is a high school?

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know having Drake in high school may not exactly be genius, but it's going to be a large part of a VERY large problem that Drake's going to face very soon!


	7. First Day

Well, I'm a little apprehensive about this chapter…but here goes nothing! Hopefully you'll like what I have to offer in this chapter. It will be (hopefully) humorous and enjoyable. So let's see how a half-human, half-Yautja survives in High School…

Yautja, Predator and all related characters and trademarks are © 20th Century Fox.

* * *

FIRST DAY

_OK,_ Drake thought, _its just High School. Just like everyone else on this planet._

He had in his hand a timetable sheet and was wearing, for among the first times in his life, regular human clothing; namely a red T-Shirt and light-coloured trousers.

"Ok…let's see here… Monday…1st Period…There- Math. Room 104."

He looked up toward the school building.

"Where the hell is Room 104?…"

After looking at a map of the school, he found that the room was actually on the top floor. However, he didn't get far- in fact, he only just made it inside- before a guy who looked about a year older than him walked past, knocking him in the elbow.

"Watch it!" Drake snapped.

"You watch it!" The (overweight) student answered, muttering "asswipe."

Unfortunately, Drake's extremely sharp hearing picked this up.

"You wanna say that to my face, fat ass?"

The other student angrily turned round. A few other students watched in surprise as the student punched out at Drake.

Unfortunately for the bully, by the time his fist was anywhere near its target, Drake had leapt-up and kicked him extremely hard in the face. He went flying back into a locker while Drake stood just there and smirked.

The bully got to his feet with difficulty, looking at Drake as he entered a defensive stance. However, before the fight could really get started (And before Drake could pulverise the bully)…

"What is going on here?"

They both stopped and turned round to see a very irate-looking teacher.

"Well?"

Drake immediately stood up straight as the teacher stood there, tapping his foot.

"Well what?" Drake asked ignorantly.

"Get to the Principal's office! Now!"

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Apart from that, and fifteen minutes being yammered at by the Principal, Drake made it up to the first lesson without incident.

"Ah, you must be the new student," The teacher said, "Drake, isn't it?"

Drake nodded. He'd already gotten a week's detention and didn't want to get into any trouble. (The main reason for this was eight feet tall and had one eye.)

"You're late!"

"Oh…I had to go to the Principal's office for getting in a…"

"Sent to the Principal's office already? Not a very good impression for your first day, Drake."

Drake scowled. Already, he could name three people here that he didn't like.

"Well, I'm your teacher, Mrs. French. You'll be sitting there, next to Adam."

Drake nodded and took his seat. The kid next to him- Adam- turned around after a few minutes.

"Hey, aren't you the guy who pulverised Danny this morning?"

"Uhh…Yeah…" Drake nodded.

"Cool! Nice move!"

"Um…Thanks?"

"So you're new here, huh?"

"Yeah, I just…" Drake immediately thought he should stick to the story Scarface gave him. "…Just moved from across town."

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Drake and Adam spent most of the lesson talking, as Adam insisted there was nothing useful about Quadratic Equations. After four extremely boring lessons, they both headed to Lunch. Scarface had luckily given Drake some human money to spend on food.

They each got the same thing- a slice of Pizza, French Fries and a Soda. After finding a table, they were joined by a freshman student.

"Oh yeah," Adam remembered, "Drake, this is my brother, Max. Max, this is the new kid who kicked the crud out of Danny."

"Cool!" Max answered, just as, before he could sit down, Drake turned to see Danny standing there with two big- and stupid looking- guys behind him.

"Oh great," Adam sighed, "It's the asshole squad."

Ignoring Adam, Danny walked up to Drake.

"No-one does that to me, Noob."

He went to punch Drake again. This time, however, the consequences were even worse.

In roughly the time is took Adam and Max to blink twice, Drake had thrown Danny to the floor, decked one of the others and kicked the second one in the chest, causing him to go flying across the lunchroom.

Max just sat there, with an amazed expression.

"You gotta admit…" He said, "That was pretty cool…"

At that moment, Drake heard Mrs. French's voice from behind him.

"You just can't stay out of trouble, can you, Drake?"

_Well,_ Drake thought, _this couldn't be going much worse…_

* * *

Next Chapter: You guessed it- things get worse!

Anyway, hope you liked that chapter and the butt-kickings that Drake handed out. Hopefully Drake doesn't seem like just a normal student.

It may interest you to know that Adam and Max are based on my two very good friends of the same names. Also Danny is named after Danny Glover, the tough-guy star of Predator 2.

Hope you liked the chapter, and remember to read and review!

Oh yeah- bad news- it doesn't look like the Xenomorphs will be appearing until about Chapter 12.


	8. Rebecca Midnight Rendezvous

Glad the last chapter was so well received! Anyway, time to get serious again. There's some big events to come in this story, but regarding one- yep, the Xenomorphs- that won't be until Chapter 15. Sorry.

Anyway, enjoy. I'd just like to remind anyone that dialogue between Yautja has been translated for your convenience. (As many people do not speak fluent Yautja Lol!)

Also, anyone remember that in "Concrete Jungle," the Yautja is referred to as the "New Way Devil"? I'll be using that herein.

Yautja, Predator and all related characters and trademarks are © 20th Century Fox.

* * *

MIDNIGHT RENDEZVOUS

"So you're back," Scarface commented, "How did it go?"

Drake looked up, clearly frustrated.

"Terrible! I got into two fights and I've already got two weeks of detention!"

"What's detention?"

"It's where they keep you in after school if you beat someone up or anything like that."

"I see. So who did you fight?"

"Some guy…Danny."

"Twice?"

"Yeah. The guy doesn't know when to quit."

"I see. Did you manage to actually get along with anyone?"

"Yeah, two of these guys I met were OK. But to be honest, I can see why most human teenagers hate those places."

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A group of thugs were assembled in the decks of the freighter.

"You bring it?" One of them asked.

Another nodded and removed a tarp, revealing an array of futuristic-looking weapons.

"So what do you need this stuff for?"

"Stuff's been happening to our boys. We're finding them with their heads torn out…and worse."

"Well, whoever's messing with you, these babies ought to blast some sense into them."

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Drake leapt energetically along the rooftops with his Stealth activated, cooled by the breeze on the hot midsummer night. On a particularly tall building, he leapt out into the air, feeling the cooling breeze whip against his body as he crashed down onto the next rooftop.

After a whole day of School, and an hour of homework, it was great to be able to get out…if just to run across the rooftops like this.

He knelt on the edge of the rooftop, looking out over a busy street.

Unfortunately, his quiet night's run was rudely shattered by the sound of an explosion from an alleyway. He immediately jumped onto a nearby rooftop and looked down into the alley.

Below, a group of cops were engaged in a shoot-out with four gang members- all of whom were carrying bizarre-looking weapons.

As one of the weapons fired, a sudden blue bolt shot out into the side of a Police Car. The vehicle exploded in a burst of fire as the flaming wreck flew through the air. Drake watched in amazement as they continued firing.

The cops barely lasted seconds. The gang members hooted and hollered, as one of their weapons suddenly fired off again. This time it was a small, jet-propelled missile. It shot right across the dead cops and the destroyed car, out into the street…right into the side of a moving car.

The vehicle's side instantly exploded, sending it careening through the air and into a wall. The entire thing exploded in a huge fireball.

This had to stop. Without hesitating, Drake leapt down, whipping out his spear. He instantly cut through one of them, even as he slashed another with his wrist-blades. One of the remaining two looked up in horror, aiming his weapon, but a single bolt from Drake's speargun cut clean through him.

Horrified, the last gangster immediately fled, jumping into a car and driving out the other end of the alley.

Drake leapt up and ran across the rooftops, jumping silently down onto the roof of the car, with his Stealth still equipped.

_Perfect,_ He thought, _I don't know where these guys got weapons like that…but this should take me right to them!_

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Rebecca was out again; it was late, but she enjoyed getting out of the house. She was just walking to the docks and back for some air; at least, that was what she told herself.

Her parents were fighting again. Whenever that happened, she used whatever excuse she could to leave.

As she reached the docks, she suddenly looked round to see a car speeding through the street and into the docks.

A man leapt out, looking like he was terrified for his life, carrying a bizarre-looking weapon. He ran up to three others who were standing by a freighter.

"Dude, where the hell you been? What…"

"Oh man…it's after me…Jesus…"

"What? What the hell are you…"

"I think it…oh my God it killed them…makes me sick just to think about it…man, I'm telling you, it…it's the New Way Devil…"

"What? Dude, you're crazy…"

"No way, man, it…"

The terrified man suddenly looked toward the car, seeing something on top of it. Rebecca saw it too- and kind of bizarre shimmering. The stunned gangsters immediately aimed their weapons and fired, as Rebecca took cover.

What happened next shocked her beyond words.

Before the weapons struck, in a surge of electricity, something leapt up into the air, extending a jagged spear and hurling a disc that cut right through one of them. Another of them fired its weapon again- this time a bright green laser that the attacker barely managed to dodge. The creature leapt forward, thrusting forth its spear and stabbing straight through its victim's chest. Another tried to fire, but the spear swung round and cut into his stomach.

The last one…the one from before…instantly fled, heading into the ship. But the creature threw the disc again, cutting into the victim as his blood sprayed all around him.

Finally, the creature stopped moving. It was tall, muscular, garbed in strange armour and a bizarre mask. But it looked…human.

She watched in horror as it approached its victim, and felt sick at what she saw next. But somehow, she couldn't look away. The creature tore the skin messily from the man's flesh until the flesh was clearly exposed and the blood gushed onto the ground. After doing the same to the others, it suddenly leapt up into a crane, tore out their intestines and hung them by their feet from the crane.

Suddenly, a voice sounded behind it.

"What the hell is that?"

Three more gangsters had entered, immediately firing what looked like a missile at the creature. It leapt down through the air as the missile struck the crane.

"Jesus shit…it's the…"

The man didn't even finish his sentence before the monster- or whatever it was- fired a bizarre weapon. A tiny spear shot forward, straight through his gut.

But as he fell, another missile fired.

Rebecca watched in horror as the missile shot through the air…

…Straight toward her!

She immediately leapt down out of the way, but the force of the explosion sent her flying.

One of the gangsters turned round at the sound of the blast to see the girl get to her feet.

"Yo! We got company!"

The monster cut through another gang member as several more emerged from the ship, some of them brandishing more of the bizarre weapons.

"Johnny!"

One of the gangsters turned round at the call of his name, as the gang leader pointed to Rebecca as she fled.

"No witnesses!"

Johnny instantly raised a large, futuristic weapon and pulled the trigger, firing a surging blue bolt through the air.

Without hesitating, Drake leapt through the air, landing between the bystander and the blast.

Rebecca turned round to see the blast strike the creature in the chest, sending it flying back. The monster skidded across the ground, clearly wounded by the impact. The gang members immediately ran toward them.

Rebecca desperately looked round, first at the monster that had suddenly saved her, then to what was in front of her- nothing but a stack of crates.

The creature forced itself up, grunting in pain, as the gang members raised their guns.

They were trapped.

There was no escape…

* * *

How's that for action? Hope you like the futuristic weapons (inspired by the Monster Squad from Concrete Jungle). This chapter also introduces a new character, who will have a major impact on the story!

But regarding the current situation- about 10 gang members, hi-tech weapons, and Drake's wounded…it's not looking good! Stick around to see how he's gonna get out of this one…


	9. Sink the Shipment

Well, I'm back! I was going to write and upload this chapter yesterday, but I was in way too bad shape to do it then. But now that's behind me and I'm back in business!

Glad the action in the last chapter was well received. There's more of the same here, as our newest character comes into play. Enjoy!

Yautja, Predator and all related characters are © 20th Century Fox.

As you may have guessed, the title of the chapter "A midsummer night's massacre" is from the Predator: Concrete Jungle game. This chapter title is also from the game.

* * *

SINK THE SHIPMENT

"Kill 'em!"

Rebecca backed toward the crates behind her. All she could do was wait for the inevitable…

Suddenly, the creature- or whatever it was- near her grabbed something and threw it toward the gangsters. One of them fired and hit the object in mid-air.

The object exploded in a white flash of light. Rebecca gasped as her vision was filled with light and a deafening noise.

She suddenly felt something grab her by the wait, and had the sensation of leaping up into the air, followed by the feel of hitting the ground.

After a few seconds, she looked up to see her saviour leaning on the side of crate, bleeding and breathing heavily. She looked round to see that they were on the other side of the crates.

"Wh…How…"

The creature looked up at her. Now that she got a good look at it, she could see that it was actually human.

"What are you doing here?" It grunted, taking what looked like a pair of daggers from its belt.

"I was…I mean…what…what was…"

"Just a stun bomb," The figure answered, "Gave us a chance to get out of there."

"But…how did you do…al of that?"

The figure paused for a moment. "I was well-trained."

He suddenly jabbed the two dagger-like objects into his wound. Screaming with pain, he eventually pulled them out. To her amazement, Rebecca saw that the wound had completely healed.

"But…why did they try to…"

"Kill us?"

"Yeah."

"They wanted me dead because those weren't the first of their men I killed. And they wanted you dead because you were in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"But who…what are you?"

"Never mind. Just go home. Forget all about this. And don't tell anyone about what happened here. If you do, they're likely to be killed."

A third voice suddenly interrupted them.

"There they are! Kill 'em!"

The young man spun round, whipping out the speargun and firing a single spear. It hit a can of fuel next to the gangsters, causing it to explode in a ball of flame.

As two other gang members charged forward, Drake hurled the disc through the air again. It cut through the support holding a large crate, causing it to drop onto them.

After a few seconds, he turned to Rebecca again.

"I told you to leave."

"Why?"

"Why? What do you mean, 'why'? You almost got killed, and I can't keep this up if I have to keep stopping them from killing you!"

The figure turned away and suddenly leapt up over the crates, onto a crane, and onto the deck of the ship.

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The gang leader and some of his lieutenants were in the ship's holds.

"Shit, man…that's half the shipment! And half our boys! What the hell did this…"

"Relax. We got something else to throw at our little buddy."

One of them men pulled away a tarp. Underneath it was a mechanical suit, 12 feet tall, with a massive machine gun for one arm and a missile launcher for the other. One the front was a space for the controller.

"Exosuit. Nice…that bastard won't know what hit him…"

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Drake sheathed his spear and looked down at the two dead guards.

_No more distractions,_ He thought, _Time to put a stop to these guys._

He leapt down into the hold, onto the top of a stack of crates. Not too far from him, he saw about four gang members in front of him.

The four gangsters suddenly looked up, just as Drake leapt down toward them, extending his spear. The thugs scattered, but as they did, Drake threw the disc through the air, cutting through two of them. Firing the speargun, he caught the others as they fled.

_Now, where's the leader?_

A sudden light filled the room from behind him. Drake leapt up, barely dodging a burst of gunfire.

With the sound of whirring machinery, the massive Exosuit emerged from the shadows, brandishing its weapons at Drake.

The gang leader smirked from inside the cockpit, glaring at Drake as the machine gun raised up to fire again.

"Time to die, freak!"

* * *

Yeah, this chapter could have been a little longer. And, to be honest, I've already got the next chapter mostly thought up. Thing is, I love writing cliffhangers. So be sure to check back soon to see Drake take on the mechanical might of a 12-foot-tall Exosuit!

Be strong- 6 chapters to go 'till the Xenomorphs!


	10. Rage against the Machine

Wow, chapter 10 already…seems like I started this story just yesterday, and now we're into the double-digits! And what better way to celebrate than with a half-Yautja taking on a 12-foot-tall Exosuit?

Well, enjoy the chapter!

Yautja, Predator and all related characters and trademarks are © 20th Century Fox.

* * *

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

The machine gun opened fire, a hail of bullets rushing through the air to meet Drake. The young warrior immediately leapt up, bounding off the side of the crates as the bullets sliced through the air.

He gritted from the pain as one of the bullets cut through the flesh on his arm. Immediately leaping down, Drake prepared to strike, but the Missile Launcher suddenly aimed up and a missile rocketed out, straight toward him. He nimbly rolled in the air, narrowly avoiding the missile.

However, as the machine gun was on the bottom of an arm that ended in a claw, the claw shot out and grabbed Drake round the neck, immediately tightening as the Machine Gun whirred to life.

The cyber-enhanced grip was even stronger than Drake was. He tried to pull himself free as the gun prepared to fire. Only one chance…

Drake quickly brought his legs up, striking the front of the machine's cockpit.

"What the…" The pilot gasped, unwittingly loosening the claw.

Drake leapt into the air, dodging most of the bullets even as one cut through his leg. Grunting due to the sharp pain, he vaulted over the robot and extended his spear.

Suddenly, the claw shot up again, striking Drake in the front. He was immediately sent flying back into the side of a crate as the Exosuit fired off another missile. Drake instantly leapt up as the missile exploded against the crate.

"Hold still, you bastard!"

The machine gun fired again as Drake ran across the top of the crates. Drake leapt down, extending his wristblades to strike, but the claw grabbed him again, slamming him into the side of a crate. Drake dropped to the ground as the Exosuit's machine gun fired again.

Drake rolled along the ground, cutting through the air with the spear and cutting into the side of the Exosuit. However, the claw swung round and struck him again, knocking him across the room.

_Oh yeah,_ Drake thought, _It's a machine. Never fought an Exosuit before…have to keep an eye on that claw, or…_

The claw struck Drake again, knocking him into the air, but he managed to somersault and land on his feet.

_Yeah…or that'll happen._

He leapt forward again, this time firing his Speargun. However, the claw shot up again, deflecting the spear, just as its other arm fired a missile. As Drake hit the ground, he leapt to the side just as the missile hit a crate right behind him and exploded. The blast sent Drake flying across the floor as the Speargun fell from his hand, skidding across the floor.

Before the gun could fire again, Drake hurled the Smart Disc through the air. It sliced right through the claw, and it fell to the floor with a large clang.

"You bastard!"

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Rebecca had made it down into the holds- probably because this…whatever it was…had already taken care of the guards. And by 'taken care of,' she meant 'killed.'

She was suddenly distracted by the sound of a large explosion and a lot of gunfire. Between two crates, she caught a glimpse of the creature dodging a hail of missiles and bullets as the Exosuit's pilot laughed.

Finally, the bullets found their mark, one of them cutting into the creature's side. The creature gasped from the pain and narrowly dodged an incoming missile.

As Rebecca watched, it dawned on her that her saviour probably needed more than a little help against that machine.

Then she saw what looked like a strange weapon lying not too far from her.

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Finally, one of the missiles hit their target. Drake was blown back, straight through a crate, hitting the floor hard. There was a lot of blood coming from his back and sides.

Looking down, he saw he still had a Medicomp left- unfortunately, as the gunfire started again, it dawned on him that his assailant probably didn't plan on giving him a chance to use it. He leapt to the side, avoiding the bullets as the Exosuit stomped after him as its pilot shouted at him.

"Hold still and die already!"

Drake tried to jump away, but the pain in his arm, leg, back and sides stopped him. He was wounded too badly…he fell to one knee as the Exosuit prepared to fire another missile.

Suddenly, a small spear shot through the air, hitting the wires behind the missile launcher. Several others followed, cutting through the wire.

"What the…it won't fire!"

Drake looked up in surprise, to see an all-too-familiar girl with long, light-brown hair holding his Speargun.

"You again?" He exclaimed before taking his chance.

He thrust up the spear. It cut through glass, flesh and bone as it stabbed into the pilot's chest.

The machine gun stopped whirring and the Exosuit collapsed to the floor. Drake stood up wearily, quickly jabbing his wound with a Medicomp. It managed to heal it about half of the way, but that missile had done a lot of damage.

He'd gotten careless. He'd almost gotten killed. In fact, he'd probably have been dead if not for that girl. Speaking of which…

"Who the hell are you?"

"Oh, you're welcome!" The girl answered sarcastically before throwing him his Speargun.

"Welcome for what?"

"Hey, I just saved your ass!"

"I could have beaten that thing."

"It didn't look that way to me!"

Drake sighed. "What the hell are you doing here anyway?"

"I could ask you the same thing. Who the hell goes round skinning people alive and fighting 12-foot-tall Exosuits?"

Drake sighed again. She may be irritatingly persistent, but she had helped him- and risked her life doing it.

"I suppose I owe you that much," He answered. "Look…I'm here to…hunt…those guys."

"Hunt? You hunt people?"

"Only the dangerous ones."

"But…what are you?"

"Human."

"Yeah right. You took down an Exosuit, killed three armed goons without breaking a sweat, jumped 20 feet and took a missile to the back. No-one human can do that stuff."

"Ok, so I'm…half-human."

"And what's the other half?"

"Never mind. All you need to know was that I was here to hunt those guys down, and now this whole thing's done with."

Drake turned away. He was about to jump up onto a stack of crates, when…

"Will you at least tell me your name?"

Drake sighed and turned round. "Drake."

The girl half-smiled. "I'm Rebecca."

Drake jumped up onto the deck and watched as the cops arrived to survey the scene. He suddenly jumped back down.

"Come on. The Police are here. We'd better not be seen."

He put his hand on her arm and switched on a small device. Rebecca shocked as they both disappeared.

"What the…"

"It's the Stealth. It's always weird first time. Just keep your arm where it is, and move as little as possible. We should be able to make it out of here OK."

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"C'jit…Drake, what were you fighting?"

"An Exosuit." Drake answered. "Big one."

Scarface looked surprised. "And you beat it?"

"Yes."

"By yourself?"

"Actually, I had some help. Not sure where she came from, though."

"She?"

"Just some girl."

"Did she see you?"

"Uh…yes…"

"You told her something, didn't you?"

Damn it…how did he always know?

"She helped me fight the Exosuit. I owed her that much."

"How much did you tell her?"

"Just that I was there to hunt down those gangsters. I told her nothing about the Yautja."

"Good. What was she doing there?"

"She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Just like…"

Drake stopped. Even after Eleven years, the memory was still painful.

"I see." Scarface answered. "Well, I did all I can for that wound. But you're still going to have a black eye. Get some rest; you have school tomorrow."

As Drake walked to his room, he paused to think just why he told that girl…Rebecca, if he remembered correctly…just as much as he did. After all, he had no interest in her- though she was attractive…very attractive, actually…

Clearing the thoughts out of his head, Drake laid down on his bed.

Oh well. That would be the last he'd see of her.

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"Whoa," Adam gasped, seeing the black eye on Drake's face, "Drake, what happened to you?"

"Got in a fight," Drake shrugged.

"Again? Dude, you've only been here three days!"

"Attention class," Mrs. Payne, their English teacher, called, "We have another new student in the class. This is Rebecca."

Drake looked up in shock as the same attractive, brown-haired girl entered the room.

"Rebecca, you'll be over there in the back, next to Drake."

Rebecca calmly walked through the class and sat next to Drake as the lesson resumed.

"Hi," She greeted him.

"Hi." Drake answered.

Rebecca paused for a moment.

"Your voice sounds familiar…"

Drake's eyes shot open in horror.

_Oh, C'jit…_

* * *

Well, what do you think? Nice twist, huh? Man, this could seriously mess up Drake's life…and it makes an excellent cliffhanger! Man, that was a hell of a chapter to write! I think it took about an hour to complete...hope you find it worthwhile!

BTW- What do you all think of the character of Rebecca?


	11. Secret Revealed

Wow…31 reviews already…and there's some good news: The Xenomorphs could be showing up a bit sooner than I thought. Don't bet on it, though. Anyway, I'm going to try and develop the characters a bit in this chapter. As you've probably guessed from the end of the last chapter, Drake's got a serious problem on his hands…

Yautja, Predator and all related characters and trademarks are © 20th Century Fox.

* * *

SECRET REVEALED

"So…" Rebecca continued, "Have we met before?"

"Don't think so," Drake answered, trying his best not to look like he was panicking.

_C'jit...what am I going to do?_

"Well, I'm sure I've heard that voice somewhere before…I think not long ago…"

"Well, I don't think we have met. Unless it was a really long time ago and I've forgotten…"

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure…"

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Eventually the class bell rang for the end of school and the students made their way outside.

_Damn it,_ Drake thought, _What if she figures it out?_

"Hey Drake," Max asked, "What's up? You look nervous."

"No, I'm fine," Drake, answered, trying to get out of school- and avoid Rebecca- as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, he felt someone tap his shoulder.

"Hey Drake," Rebecca asked, "Can I talk to you?"

Drake shuddered for a moment.

_Oh Crud…_

"Uh…Sure…"

"Get in there, Drake!" Adam laughed, slapping him on the back. Drake gritted his teeth in frustration and followed Rebecca round the back of the Bike Racks.

Finally, they stopped and Rebecca turned around.

"I thought I remembered you," Rebecca said, "You're that guy!"

"What?" Drake asked, feigning ignorance.

"From the docks last night! That crazy jackass guy! The…hunter…or whoever…it was you!"

_C'JIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!_

"Um…what the hell are you talking about…"

"Don't play innocent, I know it was you. And just to be sure…"

She quickly pulled up Drake's sleeve and saw a cut on his arm.

"So how'd you get that cut? It's the exact same place you got shot last night!"

Drake considered the possibilities for a moment. He could just shut her up by killing her (which, considering how annoyingly persistent she was, he was highly tempted to do), but that would be dishonourable. He could continue to pretend not to know what she was talking about, but she clearly knew the truth anyway. He could just run for it, but she'd be here again tomorrow. Lastly- and this seemed the only possibility- he could just fess up and accept that she knew.

"OK," He sighed, "It's true."

"I knew it! Man, what are the odds…"

"Look," Drake pleaded, "For the love of God, you cannot tell anyone about this!"

"Are you kidding? This is…this is just…"

"You don't understand…no-one can now about us…"

"Us? There's more than one of you…or…whatever…"

_Pauk…I am so stupid…_

"Look, there's a reason no-one knows about this! It has to be a secret! Come on…I'm begging you! You can't tell anyone!"

"How can I not tell someone? I mean…all those things you did…those people you killed…"

"They were thieves. Gangsters. Murderers."

Rebecca bit her tongue. She had to admit, he had a point.

"Look…my people…we're not like…humans. Our ways are different. And different things are not the type of thing that humans are in the habit of accepting. If people found out about us…it would be disastrous. For us, and for humans."

"But…this isn't the kind of thing you find out every day. I mean, the kinds of things you did…no-one can take a missile to the back and survive it."

"Rebecca, listen to me," Drake said sternly, "There are two worlds that depend on you keeping this a secret. No-one can know."

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Scarface had just switched off the communicator and looked up, when Drake dashed into the room.

"Drake? What…"

"Scarface, you have to help me! I've…She…I'M SCREWED!"

"Drake, what happened…"

"She showed up and she knows and I had to talk to her about the whole thing and I blabbed and…"

"Drake!"

Drake finally stopped.

"Now," Scarface instructed, "Explain to me, slowly and clearly: What the C'jit are you trying to say?"

Drake took a deep breath and started:

"That girl I met last night showed up and she's at my school and she's in a bunch of the same classes as me but she recognised my voice and then she figured it out because of my injuries and now she knows who I am, so I had to talk to her about the whole thing because she's really annoying, and I was out of options so I basically had to tell her I wasn't human but I didn't tell her about the Yautja or that we come from another galaxy or anything I just told her we weren't like humans but I have a feeling she won't keep this secret and now she can seriously blackmail me because she knows who I am and WHAT THE PAUK AM I GOING TO DO?"

Scarface stood silent for a moment, before speaking.

"Well…that's…quite…bad…and…we…should…probably…speak to the Elders about this…"

"Yeah," Drake agreed, "That would be a good idea."

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Before long, Scarface had used the ship's communicator to contact the Elders and Drake had told them about the situation.

"This is…most…troubling…" The Elder muttered, "But you say she does not necessarily know about the Yautja."

"No. I just said I was of a people that weren't humans. I never told her what species, or even what planet we're from."

"In that case, we should be thankful that this situation is not as disastrous as it could have been. But still, there must be something we can do in this situation."

"Well, I can't just kill her," Drake answered, "I don't know where to start on how dishonourable that would be."

"Indeed. But we must take some kind of action. Drake, since, frankly, this situation is your fault, you must keep an eye on this girl and make sure that she tells no one what she has learned of you. If she does tell anyone, we will have no choice but to take this matter to the Council of Ancients. And if that happens, they will more than likely get the Arbitrators involved."

Drake gulped. "I'll keep an eye on her."

"Very well. Make sure this situation does not get worse."

The screen flickered off.

"C'jit, what a day…" Drake sighed, "Now what?"

"I'm not sure," Scarface answered, "We've never had a situation like this before."

"Well, I'm heading out. I need to clear my head."

"OK, but be quick. We have some training to do."

"Tonight?"

"Yes. You need to practice."

"For what?"

Scarface sighed. "I'll tell you soon enough."

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Drake normally found that hunting was just the thing to clear his head. Tonight, however, his mind couldn't escape from the situation he'd gotten himself into.

_It's funny…_ He thought, _Last night I took on a 12-foot-tall Exosuit and won. I can fight six men to a standstill. I can jump 20 feet in one go. I can get hit by a car and get right back up. I can tear through a concrete wall. And now, one girl figures out who I am and there's nothing I can do about it. I almost wish it were some kind of gangster or robot…hell, I'd even take a Xenomorph over this! At least I'd have some idea how to deal with one of them! But this…you don't beat this by hitting it. It's not that simple…_

* * *

Well, that cat's out of the bag now! Can Drake possibly resolve this situation? And believe me, his situation is going to get worse before it gets better!

Also, how do you like the inclusion of some Yautja curses in the dialogue? Oh, and just so that no non-pred fans get confused:

Elders-head of the Yautja clan.

Ancients-Yautja government.

Arbitrators-Yautja police/Military.


	12. Burning at Both Ends

Hey, it's me again! And I've only got three days left of school before getting two weeks off for Easter! And that means: Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate! I'm not an overly religious person, but any excuse to stuff my face with chocolate is fine by me! So I'm starting the celebrations early! I'm going to take bets: Who things I can get the Xenomorphs into the story by Easter Sunday?

Well, I plan to get this chapter done tonight then probably sit and watch AVP for a while. (I got the extended version Yay!) Well, on with the story!

Yautja, Predator and all related characters and trademarks are © 20th Century Fox.

* * *

BURNING AT BOTH ENDS

When Drake woke up the following morning, he felt even more exhausted than when he'd gone to sleep. As soon as his eyes opened, he grimaced as he recalled the events of the last two days. Namely, the black eye he'd gotten himself fighting that Exosuit, the fact that Rebecca knew who he was, and the fact that Danny and four of his (very big) friends were planning to get some payback on Drake.

_C'jit…_

As he got up, he looked down at his watch, and his eyes shot open as he saw the time.

_DOUBLE-C'JIT!_

Drake had just realised that he was about a half-hour late getting up, and he had only ten minutes before his first lesson.

Miraculously, in the first three minutes, he managed to get showered, get dressed while drying himself off, and stuff a _Hau'Ka_ (His favourite breakfast) before dashing out of the ship, through the sewer and up into the alley.

He took about fifteen minutes from there getting to school and, just as the Physics teacher, Mr. Knott, was talking, Drake bolted into the classroom.

"Late again, Drake?" Mr. Knott sighed, "Just in time, I was collecting the homework."

Drake paused, gritting his teeth again.

_Damn it…oh well, I probably wasn't using that molar, anyway._

Drake hadn't only forgotten his homework- he'd forgotten his books, his lunch money, and, in fact, his bag.

_Well,_ He thought, _this day can only get better from here…_

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Luckily for Drake, Adam and Max had been willing to share their French Fries at lunch.

"So, Drake," Max asked, "Aside from that crazy new girl, and getting detention from old man Knott, and however you got that black eye, and forgetting your bag, what're you going to do about Danny?"

"I can take him," Drake shrugged, "I've been here three weeks and I've decked the guy…what…5 times?"

They were currently outside on the school field, and about a second later, Drake heard a voice from behind him.

"Not this time, noob!"

Drake turned round to see Danny standing there with four of his extremely large friends backing him up. Danny had a wide grin right across his ugly face.

"OK," Drake smirked, "Let's do this!"

One of the boys immediately took a swing at Drake.

By now, Adam and Max had learned to be amazed by just how good Drake was at kicking people's butts. This time was no exception. Drake drop-kicked one of them, hurled one into two others, punched one in the gun and threw Danny over his shoulder.

"Drake!"

Drake stopped and turned round to see the last person he wanted to show up at this point: Mrs. Brodie, the Principal.

"What is going on?"

"He started it!" Danny said with a smirk, "Him and those other two!"

"What?" Drake yelled angrily.

"I want to see all three of you in my office," Mrs. Brodie demanded, "Now!"

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Drake walked out of the Principal's office about fifteen minutes later- and straight into the very last person he wanted to see.

"Hey."

It was Rebecca.

_C'jit._

"Hey," he greeted her, gritting his teeth again.

"So…how you doing?"

"You already know that."

"Oh yeah. The whole…look, I haven't told anyone."

"Thanks."

"But that doesn't exactly mean I won't."

"What?" Drake gritted his teeth again.

"Well, suppose I accidentally mentioned something to a friend…"

Drake was in no mood for this.

"Look," He snapped, "Just leave me alone, OK? My life is going badly enough lately without you messing things up for me."

"Jeez, sorry. Didn't know half-human hunters could be such assholes."

"Hey!"

"You know, you'd think you'd be a little more civil considering I stopped your ass from getting blasted to pieces."

"I could have taken that thing on!"

"Didn't look like that to me. I think you just don't want to admit that you needed saving."

Drake grunted and started walking off as the bell went. He was in a bad enough mood already, and couldn't take much more of that girl.

_There goes another molar…_

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"That lousy, stinking, fat-ass son of a mother loving pile of…"

As Adam ranted on, Drake slumped down in his seat ready for History as Mr. Gordon started speaking.

"Sorry you two got sent to the Principal's office," Drake whispered.

"Don't worry," Adam, said, calming down, "Besides, we'll get that guy."

_Actually,_ Drake thought, _you're right. We- or rather, I- will get him back for this. _Drake could hardly stop a grin from spreading over his face.

_And I have a wonderful idea how to do it…_

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Another thing one should learn about Danny was that he was, in most ways, a stereotypical Juvenile Delinquent. As it happened, the chosen activity for the night amongst him and his friends involved breaking into a car that was parked in an alley.

As they laughed amongst themselves, one of Danny's friends managed to get the car door open. After fumbling through the glove box, he managed to find a radio.

At that moment, one of the thugs looked up, hearing a strange clicking noise. His eyes went wide as what looked like a shimmering mass leapt down onto the roof of a car. In a surge of electricity, a masked, six-foot-tall monster, wielding a jagged spear unleashed an inhuman howl as the five of them fell back and instantly, screaming, turned and fled. Drake was certain he heard Danny yell that he'd soiled himself.

All he could do for several seconds was stand there laughing. That may not have been overly smart, but it was definitely funny- and, more to the point, what Danny and co. deserved.

However, a deep voice speaking in Yautja language interrupted his laughter.

"I suppose you thing that was extremely clever."

Drake turned round to see Scarface looking there, extremely angry.

"Uh…hey, Scarface…I…um…"

Scarface instantly grabbed Drake and leapt up onto a rooftop.

"Drake, what in Paya were you thinking?"

"Oh, come on!" Drake insisted, "It was funny! Besides, that guy had it coming!"

"Does this look like a face that cares?" Scarface roared.

"Uh…you're wearing a mask."

"You know what I mean!"

Scarface calmed down a little.

"Drake, you have got to start taking these things seriously! As a Yautja, you…"

"I do take it seriously!"

"Taking something seriously is not jumping off rooftops to frighten anyone who gets on your bad side! Two things you should be focusing on are School and Hunting. You're near-failing in the first one, and Paya knows you've screwed up lately in the second one!"

"When did I?"

"How about when that girl figured out who you are?"

"Oh yeah…"

"Drake, this is serious! I sent you to school so you could mix with other humans your own age- not beat the crap out of them! The Elders are getting angrier with you by the minute for pulling stunts like these and because you never- ever- think anything through, and YOUR KIANDE AMEDHA TRIAL IS IN THREE WEEKS!"

Drake paused for a second.

"Wait…what was that last part?"

"I said that, in three weeks, you will have the Kiande Amedha trial!"

"The…Kiande…with the…"

"Against Xenomorphs. Yes. Now get back to the ship right now!"

Drake knew better than to argue with Scarface at times like these.

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Drake collapsed into bed, exhausted after an intense training session. But he knew that, if the Kiande Amedha trial was even nearly what he'd heard, he'd need all the practice he could get.

_OK,_ He thought, _it's time to sort all this out. I am going to pass that trial, deal with Rebecca, stop screwing up in School so much, and get my god-damn life in order!_

* * *

Well, things sure aren't going smoothly for Drake, are they? Bad grades, detentions, schoolyard fights, injuries while hunting, and an irritating-yet-attractive girl figuring out his identity. How could it get much worse? Simple: He'll soon have to take on the most nastiest aliens in the galaxy! Stay tuned! 


	13. The Monster Squad

Welcome back, as we continue Drake's story…and the serious situation in which he's found himself lately! Anyway, time for another nice helping of act-shun.

As you may have guessed, this chapter's title (and Drake's newest opponents) come from the Concrete Jungle videogame.

Yautja, Predator and all related characters and trademarks are © 20th Century Fox.

* * *

THE MONSTER SQUAD

The scientist was looking over the blueprints and computer screens, as he looked up to an old man enter the room. The old man had short, white hair and a distinct beard.

"Graves," He said, "I need to talk to you about one of our recent projects."

"Sure," the scientist answered. He had short, black hair and glasses and was wearing a standard white lab coat.

"About the latest Exosuit upgrade. The one that just got shipped."

"Well…it's the newest upgrade. We just shipped it along with some other Prometheus tech weapons. Nice machine…cyber-enhanced claw grip, missiles, rotating machine gun, armour-penetrating bullets…why? Misplace it?"

"It seems there was a…problem with the shipment. What I want to know is, how many were we shipping out?"

Graves thought back for a moment. "Three. Why?"

"We found one of them in the holds. Piloted by a gang leader. Dead. And the Exosuit was heavily damaged."

"And the other two?"

"Gone. And we have no idea who took them. They'll need tracking down. Those machines are…dangerous."

"So how do we find it?"

"Well, first things first. A hidden camera in the holds showed someone attacking the Exosuit. And we recognised the weapons."

"Rival corporation?"

"…Something like that." The old man turned to walk out of the room. "Thank you for the information Graves."

The old man was quickly met by a man in his late forties, who had faded brown hair and slightly wrinkled features.

"We were right," The old man, said, "There are indeed two more of those Exosuits missing. And to make things worse, we have a Yautja on our hands."

"So…what do we do?"

"We have the procedure. The Weyland-Yutani Corporation doesn't take such matters as this lightly. Prepare the Monster Squad."

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"How you doing?" Adam looked up from his work as Drake arrived late, as usual. After a few minutes being yammered at by Mrs. French, he'd made it to his desk.

"Not bad," He sighed. "You?"

Adam shook his head. "I hate this stuff…'x-b+ or – the square root of b plus 4 times c-a-b or whatever'…why would we ever need to know this?"

"To get the Iron Bitch off our backs?" Drake shrugged. "Anyway, I'm going on vacation soon."

"Cool. Where are you going?"

"Just visiting family." Drake knew it was best that no one found out that he was actually going to be fighting murderous aliens in a little under a month.

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Drake quickly blocked Scarface's blow and, as his mentor leapt at him, ducked and kicked Scarface in the chest. Scarface hit the ground and leapt up, striking forth with his foot, but Drake leaned to the side and grabbed Scarface's leg, hurling him to the ground. Even as Scarface struck, Drake leapt back.

Scarface leapt forward again, but Drake rolled across the ground and brought his fist up, stopping it an inch from Scarface's face.

"Not bad," Scarface smiled. Drake brought his foot down and they each bowed.

"Only a few weeks to go," Drake sighed, "Let's hope I'm ready by then."

"The test will be difficult," Scarface answered as he leaned against the wall, "Possibly the most difficult thing you'll have ever done."

Drake shrugged. "Well, I'm going to get showered. Is it OK if I go out for a quick hunt?"

"OK," Scarface answered, "Just don't be long."

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Drake stood in the cooling midnight breeze, on the edge of the roof. He looked out over the rooftops and basked in the autumn night. Trees below him were now beautiful combinations of red and gold.

He wasn't even out here to hunt- just to cool off. For the last four days, when he wasn't eating or sleeping, he'd been sparring with Scarface. All in preparation for the Kiande Amedha trial.

_Are those things really all Scarface said they are? _Drake thought, _I've sure as hell heard back things about them…_

He took a few minutes to reflect on those tales…stories, legends and rumours of monsters that breed inside the living and kill at birth. Fanged, acid-blooded monstrosities.

It dawned on him that dwelling on those stories probably wouldn't help him. Still, he'd rather be taking on a Xenomorph than living his life lately.

True, his grades were up a little, and he'd managed to go a full day without getting into a fight, but he was still exhausted every morning and night, he still had that Yautja trial looming ever closer, and Rebecca still knew who he was.

And he still had no idea what to do about that.

At that moment, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something glowing in the alley beneath him. Some kind of green glow…

Drake lithely dodged, jumping down into the alley and barely avoiding the searing blast. He hit the ground hard, ending up in a small puddle. In a burst of electric sparks, his Stealth gear shorted out as another blast swept toward him. He ducked, narrowly dodging the beam.

He quickly analysed the situation: Jumping into the alley had definitely been a bad move. His Stealth wasn't working now. He was at the back of the alley, cornered. Walls close-by on all sides. And whoever this guy was, he was heavily armed. Drake leapt forward into the air, barely in time to dodge another searing blast. However, something else suddenly hit him in the back, surrounding him and binding his arms to his sides.

Drake struggled as the net kept him pinned down. Finally, they emerged from the shadows.

The two of them were garbed in fully black suits, moving swiftly and silently. Black masks concealed their faces and they each carried a massive cannon. One of them nodded to the other, who immediately readied his weapon.

Drake managed to grab his Smart Disc and swept it up, cutting through the net. As the laser fired, Drake jumped up onto the side of a fire escape and fired two shots from his Speargun. His attackers immediately dodged, and one of them fired again. Drake jumped down toward them, whipping out his Glaive. However, they rolled to the side again, but Drake fired a second time. This time the spear caught one of them in the back- but all it did was stagger!

The other one suddenly leapt forward, stabbing something into Drake's back. Drake gritted his teeth in pain and swung the Glaive round, even as his attacker rolled away.

_I recognise these guys…_ Drake thought, _Scarface told me about them…the monster squad…_

As one of them leapt toward him, Drake tried to lift his arm- but the movement was slow, almost as if his arm was unwilling.

The Monster Squad member struck Drake in the chest, knocking him back into the wall.

Drake's limbs felt like they were made of rubber as he tried to stand up.

_C'jit…_ He thought, _what did that bastard stab me with? Can barely feel me arms…_

One of them fired again, striking Drake in the chest. He roared in anger until the beam stopped and he slumped to the ground.

_Can't move…hurts to even breathe…come on…have to get up…_

Finally, he leapt forward, spear extended. This managed to take one of them by surprise. The spear hit its mark, cutting straight through him. Drake pulled it out…and the guy hit him right back! Despite the should-have-been-fatal wound, he raised the gun again and fired.

Drake tried to dodge, only to hit an invisible wall of pain. The beam sent him hurtling back into a dumpster.

Drake's two attackers began walking quickly toward him. Despite the agony it caused, and the pain of the raw, bleeding wound on his chest, Drake pulled himself up.

The two Monster Squad soldiers raised their weapons again.

Desperately, Drake managed to grab something out of his belt. Shielding his eyes, he hurled the Sonic Trap forward into the bath of the beams. It exploded in a blinding flash and unbelievable noise. Drake leapt away with what little strength he had left, only to find that they kept firing!

_Oh, come on! Doesn't anything work on these guys?_

Drake hurled something else behind him this time. It hit one of them in the chest, exploding in a burst of fire.

_Yes!_

With the last of his strength, Drake pulled away a nearby manhole and slipped down into the sewers.

_Have to keep moving…_ He thought, _just don't black out…_

His head was swimming. Whatever he'd been stabbed with, it was seriously powerful.

He wasn't sure how far he'd gotten before he heard the footsteps coming from behind him. He wearily turned round to see the two soldiers still moving toward him, one of them badly burned, its mask charred away.

Beneath the mask, it was hideous- pale white flesh and torn-off skin attacked systematically to meshes of wires and systems.

Drake hurled the Smart Disc at them again, only for them each to dodge both times and fire at him again. Drake spun round in an effort to dodge, but the blasts hit him in the back. He cried out in pain and went flying forward, facedown in the sewage.

_No…come on…have to get up…can't go down like this…not like this…_

He managed to pull himself up, only for both of his attackers to suddenly start pummelling him. After a few seconds, Drake collapsed again.

He didn't get up.

Drake's chest slowly raised and fell as the Monster Squad soldiers approached him.

However, as one of them leaned, down, a shimmering object leaped down and kicked one of them away. It hit the sewage and, in a burst of lightening, was revealed.

The Yautja roared angrily at the two of them. It was eight feet tall, with pale yellow-brown skin and mandibles on its mouth. Definitely Yautja.

However, most notably, instead of a left eye, it had a large, grey scar.

Scarface whipped out his spear and leapt at the two soldiers…

* * *

Man, what a cliffhanger! Scarface Vs. The Monster Squad! Drake is unconscious! 

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Ever since my friend Joe Hartwell and I came up with Drake, we've thought about pitting him against the Monster Squad. Hope you enjoyed that confrontation!

Oh, and bad news, Xeno fans- the Xenomorph chapter has been delayed again. Sorry about that.


	14. The Agony of Defeat

Yay, it's nearly Easter! But if I want to meet my target, I'd better speed things up to get to the Xenomorphs. Unfortunately, there may be complications. So far today, my Easter vacation just started and I'm as busy as ever. First a trip up to Coventry, then helping my Dad with the woodwork. But the biggest complication is that I simply need a break. I've been getting way too stressed out lately, mainly because of naggings parents, ass-headed teachers, my friend acting like a prick, exams and, mostly, lack of sleep. I hope to remedy that, at least, in my two weeks off from school. At least now that stress seems to be over with. My point is: Expect plenty of updates over the next week.

After Easter Sunday, I won't be updating for a week, as well, as I'm off up to my Grandmother's, and she doesn't get the Internet. However I will try and get some stuff written by then.

Well, enough of my woes. Hopefully everyone's nice and tense after Chapter 13's cliffhanger. Anyway, I'll keep you waiting no longer, as it seems I've rambled again. So anyway, enjoy. There's some good action here, and Scarface is going to kick some serious butt. Between now and the Xenomorphs there's going to be some (hopefully) good character development. By the way, I have some things in mind but does anyone have any ideas as to the whole Rebecca situation? Well, anyway, enjoy the chapter.

Yautja, Predator and all related characters and trademarks are © 20th Century Fox.

* * *

THE AGONY OF DEFEAT

One of the Monster Squad soldiers brought its gun up to fire, but Scarface expertly dodged in mid-air and, even as they rolled away, fired the Speargun and caught one in the hole Drake had made in its chest. As the other one prepared to fire, Scarface fired a white-hot bolt from his Plasmacaster. The blast exploded against the soldier, sending him flying back.

The other one leapt forward, extending a small blade, but Scarface ducked and thrust his Wristblade forward.

The blades cut through armour, machinery and flesh, and the arm was sent flying off, cleanly severed at the elbow as the murky water swallowed it up.

The soldier still stood, firing his weapon again, only for Scarface to leap over it from a standing position and, with one swipe, sever his opponent's head. The dead body fell with a soft splash into the murky water.

Behind Scarface, the other one stood and shot a burst of searing green energy from its gun. Scarface leapt straight up into the air, firing the Netgun. The net shot forward, catching the soldier and hurling him into a wall. Scarface hit the water right in front of the trapped soldier as the net held him down.

Extending his spear again, Scarface thrust it forward, straight through the soldier's head. After a few seconds, his body became still.

Scarface immediately turned and ran through the murky water toward Drake. He immediately lifted the boy up, looking down at his raw, bleeding wounds. He quickly checked the pulse- he was unconscious, but alive.

Scarface easily lifted Drake over his shoulder and began waling away through the sewers.

Through the sensors in Drake's mask, he'd seen the odds Drake was facing and he'd known that the boy couldn't have won. Unfortunate- if those Monster Squad soldiers had fought on fair terms and not drugged him, Drake probably would have won.

Then again, the Monster Squad never did fight fair…

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Drake awoke groggily, squinting as the light hit his eyes.

He felt sick; he could already feel the bile rising in his gut. His limbs could barely move- it was as if his own body was trying to fight him.

As he lay there, he recalled the events that had passed; first of all, those two soldiers…then…whatever they stabbed him with. They drugged him…with what? He'd barely been able to move- he didn't have a chance.

…He'd lost.

He'd been drugged, cheated and beaten.

By this point, his feeling of sickness was fading. Too bad- along with the acid in his stomach, he wished he could vomit out the events that had just happened.

"You're awake," Scarface's voice suddenly came.

Drake nodded. "I lost…"

"They drugged you. That's why you lost."

Drake looked up at his mentor, angry and frustrated. "That doesn't change it." He sighed. "What time is it?"

"5 A.M."

"Well, I might as well get showered."

As Drake tried to stand up, a sudden sense of dizziness overwhelmed him. He staggered, and would have collapsed to the floor if Scarface hadn't caught him.

"Watch it," Scarface warned, "The stuff in that syringe was a neuro-toxin. And there was enough of it to take down an Elephant. Even with your Yautja DNA, it's a wonder that you even managed to stand up straight."

"How long?" Drake asked as he laid back down.

"How long for what?"

"How long until that stuff wears off?"

"A few hours," Scarface answered, "Get some rest. You won't be at School today, so once you're up to it we'll get back to training."

Scarface left the room, leaving Drake alone with his thoughts.

He'd lost. Badly. He'd been drugged, beaten and almost killed by two humans. He'd fought ten humans at once before and won easily.

Then again, those were no ordinary humans. But that didn't change it.

Over the next two hours, he replayed that fight countless times in his head, thinking about where he went wrong.

If he hadn't jumped down into the alley…if he'd dodged just that little bit faster…if he'd just used the Speargun or the Disc instead of trying to get in close with the spear…

Like Scarface and the Elders always said, if only he'd thought it through…

But it didn't matter. All the reflection and analysis in the world didn't change the fact that he'd gotten his butt handed to him.

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After a few hours, Drake was able to get up and take a shower.

He'd always wondered by prize fighters would always spend so long in the shower after losing a fight. Now he knew. In some ways, the water washed away all of the anger. All of the shame. But no longer how long he spent in the shower, it didn't help.

It didn't take him long to get dressed and ready for training. He entered the Kehrite and found Scarface standing there in thought.

"What's on your mind?" Drake asked.

Scarface looked up. "The Monster Squad."

"Don't remind me."

"Drake, think about this. Paya knows that they attacked you."

"Yeah. I kind of gathered that."

"But _think_ about it- why did they attack you?"

Drake stammered.

"Precisely," Scarface continued, "Listen, the Monster Squad were created by a corporation. The same corporation that created the Exosuits- and recently created the Exosuit that you destroyed a few weeks back."

"But why did they send them after me?"

"Presumably, they were after revenge. They must have known it was you that took out the suit."

"And they want me dead over a suit?"

"I doubt it was just that. These people are extremely ruthless, Drake. They no doubt see you as a threat. These are dangerous, powerful people. And they want you dead. Which means there will be more attacks like this. And the next one is likely to be even worse."

"So what do we do?"

"We train."

"What?"

"Drake, you have just over two weeks until the Kiande Amedha trial. No matter who is out to kill you, they won't find this ship. And whatever problems you have, you can deal with them after the trial is over."

"Well, then, we might as well start training. I was going to go out hunting to blow off some steam…"

"Are you insane?" Scarface snapped. "I just told you, these people are out to kill you. And you're in no shape to go fighting them again. If the trial wasn't approaching, I wouldn't even be letting you train. Except for School, you're not to even set foot outside this ship, at least until you recover."

Drake grunted frustrated.

"Drake," Scarface pleaded, "This isn't a punishment. This is serious. Your life is in danger."

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Kehrite-- Yautja Dojo.

Man, poor Drake…nothing seems to be going right for him lately, does it?

I really do feel that chapter came off superbly, so feel free to review with any thoughts you may have.

Next chapter: Drake faces his worst fight yet…with Rebecca!


	15. Confusing Feelings

Yep, I'm back again! This story's gotten 40 reviews so far. I'm hoping to hit the 50 review mark by Easter Sunday. (But that's going to mean a lot of writing.) Yet more incentives for getting to the Xenomorphs soon!

Anyway, enjoy this chapter. I'm afraid the situation with Rebecca is going to get worse before it gets better…

Yautja, Predator and all related characters and trademarks are © 20th Century Fox.

* * *

CONFUSING FEELINGS

When Drake got up the next morning, he felt more exhausted than when he went to sleep.

By now, at least, the effects of the serum should have worn off completely. As he got up, however, he felt any number of cuts and bruises all over his body.

Looking over at his alarm, he saw that the time was 8: 45

"C'jit!"

About fifteen minutes later, Drake bolted into School and through the corridor, into the Geography room. He was surprised, however, to see only four other students in there.

"Uh…am I late?"

"Actually," the teacher, Mr. Eddowes, answered, "You're a little early."

_Well,_ Drake thought to himself, _First time for everything._

He took his seat; thinking _At least training's going well…maybe things could finally start turning around._

"By the way," Mr. Eddowes said once the class entered, "Due to some changes in your grades, the seating plan for this class has been changed. Rebecca, you're over there next to Drake."

_Then again,_ Drake complained inwardly, _maybe not._

Rebecca sat down next to him and gave a brief smile.

"Hey."

Drake nodded in response, gritting his teeth again.

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"So…" Rebecca asked awkwardly as they made their way to the next class, "How's the whole…thing you do…"

"Fine." Drake answered through gritted teeth.

"What's your problem?"

Drake clenched his fists.

_That's it. I've had all I can stand, and I can't stand no more!_

"Well?" Rebecca asked again.

"My problem," Drake hissed, "Is you!"

"Me?"

"Yes. You. Ever since I met you, you've been screwing up my life!"

"What?"

"You heard me! I'm only going to say this once…" He turned round to face her. The stress of the last few months had finally become too much. He was seeing red. "Stay. The. Hell. Away. From. Me! I've got enough problems in my life lately without you making things worse! I never want to be within 100 miles of you again in my life, you stupid bitch!"

Rebecca stood there for several moments. It only took Drake a second to realise what he'd just done. He could see it in her face. She looked shocked…hurt…

But Drake was still too angry to care. He quickly turned away and went to walk off, before Rebecca suddenly answered him.

"You think you're the only one with problems?"

Drake paused for a moment as she continued.

"At least I'm actually trying to be a halfway decent person to you! And who the hell are you to go on at me for causing you a few problems? What about those guys you skinned alive?"

"Do I look like I care what you think?" Drake snapped, "Do I look like I give a shit what you think?"

"Hey, if it wasn't for me, you'd be dead on the floor of that ship!"

"And if it wasn't for me, you'd have been shot in the face!"

"I'm not the one who's a murderer!"

"You think you can get to me with that? Don't try that holier-than-thou act on me! You don't know a damn thing about…"

"Try me."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I haven't just been sitting around since I met you, you know. You look deep enough on the Internet, in the history books, and you can find anything."

_I don't like where this is going,_ Drake thought.

Rebecca continued: "I want answers. I want the truth. Now."

Drake grunted in frustration. "What are the questions?"

"Who are the Yautja? Where do you come from? Why are there legends of those things going back 6000 years?"

"In order: None of your business, I'm not telling, and Screw You. My world is something you'll never understand. Now get the hell away from me?"

"What are you going to do?" Rebecca asked sarcastically, "Hunt me down and skin me alive?"

"Frankly, I'm tempted to start right now."

"You think I'm afraid of you?"

"I know you damn well should be."

"Well I'm not."

"And I don't give a shit. Now just stay away from me!"

With that, Drake turned round and walked off.

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Drake ducked and kicked his foot out, but Scarface easily blocked and hurled him to the ground. However, as Drake stood, Scarface paused for a moment.

"We'll wrap it up there. Everything OK?" Scarface asked, "You seem a little off."

Drake sighed. "You wouldn't understand."

"Don't be so sure."

"It's just…I talked to Rebecca again today."

Scarface leaned against the wall. "Why do I have the feeling I'm about to get some bad news?"

"She knows more than we thought. She's found out something about the Yautja…"

"You told her?"

"Of course not. She's been looking around…on the Internet, in books…humans know more about us than we think."

"Does she know where we're from?"

"I don't think so. I'm not sure how much she knows."

"So why does it bother you so much?"

"I just…said some things to her…things that maybe I shouldn't have said."

"So you feel guilty about the whole situation with her."

"I guess so. To be honest, I still never want to talk to her again."

Scarface paused. "Drake…do you like that girl?"

"What?"

"You heard me."

Drake grunted and left for his room.

This whole situation was driving him nuts. Still, he didn't know why he'd felt so guilty about what he'd said to her…hell, he'd stabbed people through the face and not lost any sleep over it.

Then again, he'd been hunting for almost as long as he could remember.

But he'd never faced a situation like this. He couldn't solve this problem by stabbing her. And to be honest, he didn't want to.

When he'd been talking to her…in fact, whenever he talked to her…he felt something. Something he'd never felt before. Something besides wishing that she would shut the hell up.

And he still didn't know why he felt to so bad about arguing with her.

"C'jit…What the hell is wrong with me?"

* * *

Let's face it: that chapter sucked.Yeah, I suck at writing this emotional stuff. So sue me. Just to give a brief summary of this chapter: Rebecca's starting to figure things out regarding the Yautja, and to make thing worse, Drake's actually starting to like her.

And this kind of stress isn't healthy when you've got about a week to go before fighting Xenomorphs…oh well, please review anyway. I'll have the next chapter up soon.


	16. Apology and Departure

Well, not much to say on this chapter. It's nearly Easter, though, so I'd best get to work if I want to get to the Xenomorphs by then.

Yautja, Predator and all related characters and trademarks are © 20th Century Fox.

* * *

APOLOGY AND DEPARTURE

_Four Days…_ Drake thought, _Only Four Days left…_

Drake's life hadn't gotten any better over the last three days. In fact, not much had happened except intense training with Scarface.

To be honest, he doubted if things could be going much worse. The injuries he sustained while fighting the Monster Squad may have healed, but whoever sent them after his was still out there. Then there was Danny and his goons, detention, teachers, School, not being allowed out after school…and Rebecca.

It had now been over three weeks since the whole situation with her had started, and he _still_ had no idea what he was going to do about it. And these…feelings he was starting to have for her could only serve to complicate things.

Such were Drake's thoughts as he entered the schoolyard to find Adam and Max waiting for him.

"Hey," Adam greeted him, "Where were you?"

"Overslept," Drake answered.

"Again?" Max asked. "Anyway, Danny's looking for you."

Drake clenched his fist. Danny was the last person he wanted to see right now…he'd even prefer to talk to Rebecca. Then again, there was that small, ever-growing part of him that _wanted _to see her. But the problem with Danny was, with all the problems Drake was having, it was entirely likely that Danny could end up the recipient of a beating marked for a Xenomorph.

Unfortunately, on the way to their first lesson, Adam and Max turned round a corner to see Danny standing there.

"Going somewhere?" Danny asked with a fat, ugly grin.

Adam and Max looked around at six, this time, of Danny's goons.

"Still getting your boyfriends to fight me instead of you?" Adam taunted.

Before he could even finish his sentence, Adam had been punched in the gut. As he staggered, Max lashed out at one of them, only to be struck in the face. Two of them started punching Adam as another one tripped up Max and started laying into him.

Suddenly, something pulled Adam's attackers off and hurled them into Max's attacker. As another one tried to punch him, Drake grabbed his hand and kneed him in the chest.

"That's enough!"

Another one tried to punch Max, but Drake quickly kicked him in the side, knocking him to the ground.

"I said, that's enough!"

One of the goons attempted to hit him in the face, but Drake effortlessly ducked and responded by punching him in the gut, sending him flying into a wall.

Two of them, however, grabbed his arms from behind as another prepared to punch him. Drake easily flipped over and kicked the two holding him into the attacker. Another one punched at his face, but Drake caught the blow and hurled the thug over his shoulder.

Finally, Danny took a swing himself, but Drake instantly ducked and punched him in the face. He grabbed Danny by the collar, pulling back his fist, about to strike…

"Drake, no!" Max yelled, "Dude, that's enough!"

Drake grunted and dropped Danny, turning to the other six, who instantly ran off down the hallway.

"Thanks, Man," Adam sighed as he and Max got up, "Jesus…how the hell do you do that?"

"Karate classes," Drake lied.

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After lunch, Drake stood around for a while, again going over recent events in his head…until the last person he wanted to talk to came up to him.

"Hey," Rebecca greeted him coldly.

Drake nodded, looking away.

"Look…" He said, after a few awkward seconds, "About the other day…I'm sorry. I said some things that…well, that I shouldn't have said and, well…like I said, I'm sorry."

Rebecca paused for a few seconds.

"It's OK," She answered. "I guess it's not easy…you know, doing what you do…"

Drake nodded.

"You know…" He admitted, "I don't think I ever did thank you. You know…for the whole thing on that ship. So, uh…"

"You're welcome," Rebecca smiled, before turning and walking away.

Drake was jarred out of his thoughts by the bell.

_Better get going,_ He thought. _God, what the hell is wrong with me. I just want to get this day over with, get home, get onto that trial…and…stop thinking about her. Stop thinking that just because I mustered the guts to apologise to her, that she could see anything in me._

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It was just as he'd feared, Drake thought as he made his way through the sewers, back to the ship.

He'd wanted to kill Danny. Just for beating up his friends. But it wasn't just that. When he was beating on them, he was seeing the Xenomorphs…gangsters…Exosuits…and, most of all, the Monster Squad. He'd lost it. Even though it was only for a split second, a split second, he reminded himself, is all it takes.

He opened the door in the side of the ship and stepped inside.

"There you are," Scarface said, "You've been taken out of School until the trial."

"Why?" Drake asked, "To train?"

Scarface nodded. There are only four days to go, Drake.

"Well, then," Drake answered as he put his bag down, "Let's get started."

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The next three days were like a blur to Drake. Constant training, honing his skills in both physical combat and his weapons…understanding the prey he would face and practicing again and again how to track, fight and kill it. It seemed like a blink of an eye before three days had, indeed, passed.

Drake and Scarface stood just outside the city, as, after a brief shimmering, a shining, massive matrix of light and metal appeared above their heads. Electricity danced around it as the sleek, expertly designed form of the Yautja ship appeared. A ramp quickly descended towards them as Drake attacked his mask.

"Are you ready?" Scarface asked quietly as his 'son' looked up.

Drake nodded, though somewhat nervously.

They both started up the ramp, into the ship. They felt the engines begin to start smoothly beneath them as the ship cloaked again and rose into the air.

Drake glanced out of a window, down toward the city as it rapidly began to disappear as they ascended into the sky.

At least he wouldn't have to worry about School or Danny for the next few days. Instead, he'd have to worry about murderous, acid-blooded monsters.

There were those he'd miss, though. He already missed the cooling night air, and he'd miss Adam and Max. One problem he'd be rid of for a while, though, was Rebecca. Maybe he'd have time to come up with a solution to that whole situation.

Then again, there was that small, growing corner of his heart that would miss her.

Drake turned away from the window as the ship shot into the blackness of space.

* * *

To be honest, I thought the emotional stuff came off a lot better there. So tell me: Did I do a good job on that? I was hoping to show that Drake really is starting to angst over his feelings.

Oh well. One more chapter to go, and then…finally, here come the Xenomorphs! So, get ready…the showdown is on your way! Plus, the next chapter will hopefully be more eventful than this. But I'm trying to, y'know, build up the character emotions and all that.

Next Chapter: Drake and his fellow "Unblooded" Yautja prepare for the hunt- but how well can Drake blend in with the Yautja? Can't be any worse than with humans…right? Plus: Drake's about to get himself a rival! Stay tuned!


	17. Preparations

YES! I did it I did it I did it I did it!

Sorry about that. Just got a little excited…

Well, I've managed to get all the way up to 50 reviews! So, in celebration (and to help get to the Xenomorphs) here's another chapter. Just this one chapter to go, and then…the trial can begin!

So enjoy the chapter- the moment you've awaited since this story started is almost here…

* * *

PREPARATIONS

The fast, sleek Yautja spacecraft descended smoothly toward the atmosphere of the small planet down below. The atmosphere on this planet was a beautiful mixture of red and orange.

"A beautiful planet," Scarface commented as the craft slowly descended, "Well, Drake, this is it."

Drake nodded nervously behind his mask, as the ship began its rapid descent toward the planet's surface. Another Yautja craft was descending next to them.

Drake had taken the opportunity to explore the ship on the way here. As the craft descended, he looked round at two other student Yautja who occupied the craft.

Finally, the ship came to a slow stop. Drake looked out to see a bizarre, alien jungle; full or orange-red plants and towering trees as bizarre creatures roamed through the undergrowth.

The ramp descended from the side of the ship, and Drake stepped out into the warm air.

"Hey," a Yautja's voice came from behind him, "I was hoping I'd meet you."

Drake turned round to see a young Yautja standing behind him. The Yautja continued: "The first human ever trained by a Yautja, is that right?"

Drake nodded tensely as the Yautja suddenly threw a Combistick toward him. It was just slightly shorter than the ones Drake was used to fighting with.

"You up for a sparring match?" The Yautja answered.

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Drake and his opponent stood in the middle of a small clearing, each one holding their Combistick in a battle stance. Three other young Yautja stood watching.

Drake leapt toward him opponent, bringing the Combistick down in a quick strike. His opponent suddenly jumped back, though, ducking and bringing up his weapon. Drake rolled in mid-air, dodging the Combistick and grabbing it with one hand, while bringing up his Combistick with the other as his opponent struggled.

Drake rolled behind his opponent, bringing up his Combistick and stopping it less than an inch from the back of his opponent's head.

"Not bad," the Yautja smiled, "Looks like you win. Not bad for a human…" He put away his weapon, as Drake returned his. "…In fact, not bad for anyone!"

The Yautja extended his hand. "Dachande."

Drake smiled and shook his hand. "Drake."

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Drake and the other students were soon at a small Yautja camp, not far from a large cave.

"Welcome to the Kiande Amedha trial," a Yautja elder began, "You all know of the difficulties you will be facing tomorrow. To pass, you must have all the qualities of a Yautja warrior: Strength, Skill, Determination, and Honour. Only by working together will you be able to survive and pass this trial. You will report here tomorrow morning to begin to the trial. You have until then to prepare."

The young Yautja turned away to leave, but Drake was stopped in his tracks by a thin-but-muscular Yautja student.

"So you're Drake," He grunted, "Not very impressive."

"Who asked you?" Drake answered, clenching his fist. "And who are you?"

"They call me Deadstreak. And I call you 'human.'"

"Am I supposed to be offended by that?"

"No. I just can't believe they actually allowed anyone to train a human…even that moron, Scarface."

"If you've got a problem," Drake said angrily, "Come straight out with it so I can kick your ass."

"You think you could beat me?" Deadstreak half-laughed. "From what I hear, a week ago, you got your ass handed to you by two humans."

"I can still take on you with one hand, asshole."

"Think so? Let me tell you something: This is a place for a Yautja. Not some moderately evolved monkey. The second you get out there, facing a _real_ enemy, you are going to get ripped to pieces."

Deadstreak turned away and walked off.

"Hey," Drake asked as Dachande walked past, "Who's that guy?"

"You mean Deadstreak?" Dachande asked, "Yeah, he's a total jackass. I trained in the same Kehrite as him. He just thinks he's the best."

"We'll see," Drake sighed. "Well, I'm going to get ready for the trial."

Drake didn't get far before another voice stopped him.

"Drake, wait a minute."

Drake turned round to see Scarface standing there.

"I need to talk to you," he said, "This way."

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Scarface led Drake to a small tent. The tent seemed to be made of thin sheets of highly flexible metal…almost like titanium silk, if that was possible.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Drake asked as Scarface opened the wall and took something out of its holder. It was a large, long metal cannon, looking just large enough to fit on Drake's shoulder.

"This," Scarface answered, "Each of the students taking the trail is to be given one."

Drake's jaw dropped. "That…that's a…"

"A Plasmacaster. Correct."

"Whoa…you've never let me use these before except…"

"I know. Except when I told you how to use it. So be careful with this thing, Drake."

As Scarface left, he turned round to face Drake.

"Be careful out there, Drake," He instructed, "This is what all of your training has led up to. You can do this, Drake. I know you can."

Drake stayed behind to think for a moment after Scarface left.

He was right…tomorrow was, indeed, the big day. The day he'd been preparing for since he was 5 years old.

To add to that, he'd never hunted alongside other Yautja before. In fact, this was the first time he could even remember being among Yautja.

And he'd already made an enemy…

* * *

Next Chapter: The Trial Begins!

Hope you liked the introduction of Drake's rival; there's going to be a lot of friction between those two in the next chapter, and you'll see why.

But then, of course, there's the part you've all been waiting for…Drake is taking on the Xenomorphs!


	18. The Trial Begins

Well, I've finally done it…here it is, the moment you've all been waiting for…the Kiande Amedha trial begins! But even with his new ally Dachande, and with Deadstreak to complicate things, can Drake survive against the foulest beings in the galaxy?

However, if you're enjoying the story, I've got bad news. See, tomorrow afternoon I'm heading down to my Grandmother's. She doesn't have any Internet access, so therefore I won't be able to post anything while I'm down there. Also I don't get back until Thursday. I'll try and at least get some stuff written, though.

Yautja, Predator and all related characters and trademarks are © 20th Century Fox.

* * *

THE TRIAL BEGINS

Drake stayed awake long into the night. Every time he closed his eyes, he was confronted with images of those foul, snarling beasts, drenching him in Acid Blood…

He didn't know what time it was that he finally fell asleep. Eventually, the night passed and the planet's twin, red suns rose steadily into the air.

The sudden sound of a loud, Yautja horn caused Drake's eyes to shoot open. He sat straight up as the realization of what was about to happen smacked him upside the head. He hurriedly got dressed, attached his mask and armour, and gathered his weapons. Finally, he placed the massive Plasmacaster on his shoulder and stepped outside.

Before long, he stood amongst the other five trainees- with Deadstreak next to him.

"So you didn't chicken out," Deadstreak taunted, "Let's see how long you actually last out there."

"Bet it'll be longer than you," Drake answered.

"Oh, please. Face it, you don't belong here."

Drake turned away, irritated beyond words by his new rival.

Finally, a clan Elder stepped out in front of them.

"On this day," He said, "The day that you have all spent your life training for has arrived. But be warned: This trial is not to be taken lightly. The Xenomorphs are quite possibly the foulest and most terrible creatures in the Universe. Therefore, for this trial, you will be in three teams of two."

"Three?" Drake whispered, "There's only five of us."

"Look around," Dachande answered, "Another Yautja got here last night."

"The teams will be," The Elder continued, "Dacande and Tu'thaka…" Those two took their places.

"…Lua'Kia and Hura'Ki…"

Another two Yautja took their places.

_Oh, no…_ Drake realised, _that means…_

"And finally, Drake and Deadstreak."

_Damn it!_

"You have 15 minutes left to prepare yourselves. Use them wisely."

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The next 15 minutes were a blur, filled with constant insults between Drake and Deadstreak. Eventually, a few minutes before the trial was to begin, they wound up staring each other down ready to fight. Deadstreak was about to throw the first punch, when the Elder suddenly appeared between them.

"Enough," He growled, "You are here to hunt and kill Xenomorphs, not each other! Now, go and stand with the other four."

Drake and Deadstreak complied, glaring daggers at each other, until they lined up.

The Elder stood there silently as the six young Yautja prepared to enter the caves.

"In those caves," The Elder explained, "Is a hive of roughly 30 Xenomorphs. To pass the trial, each of you must slay at least one. There are three passages leading to the hive. Each pair will take a different path."

Finally, he raised his spear into the air, the sun glinting brightly off the polished metal.

"Let the trial Begin!"

All three teams ran straight into the caves.

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It had now been about 10 minutes since the Unblooded Yautja had entered the caves.

"I can't believe I got stuck with the human," Deadstreak complained, "I'm probably going to get blamed because my partner's the first one those things rip to pieces!"

"What the hell is your problem," Drake asked, before suddenly stopping. "Wait…what's that?"

The sounds would have been near silent to an ordinary human…but Drake was no ordinary human.

There were sounds of explosions…roaring…followed by savage, inhuman screeches and the sound of tearing metal…followed by screams of pain and the sickening sounds of tearing flesh and breaking bones. Finally, the screeches and sounds of battle stopped, replaced by a Yautja's victorious roar.

"The hive's awake," Deadstreak, commented, "So now what, Mr. 'look-at-me-I'm-an-ape-and-I-actually-dressed-myself-this-morning'?"

"Will you shut it?" Drake snapped. "I'm not happy about being stuck with you either!"

"Me?" Deadstreak remarked, insulted.

"Yes. You. Since I set foot on this planet you haven't stopped acting like a complete and total jackass!"

"At least I actually belong here!"

"And I don't?"

"Damn right. Humans don't belong with the Yautja. Just face it, monkey-boy, you're not one of us. And you never will be!"

That was it. The last several weeks had been bad enough, now they were underground, about to face hordes of murderous monsters…and what Deadstreak just said had finally pushed him too far.

Drake struck out, punching Deadstreak right in the face and sending him staggering back.

"Bastard!" Deadstreak yelled, clenching his fists.

Suddenly, something behind Deadstreak caught Drake's attention…his eyes were drawn to a large crack in the rock behind him…and something…something inside the crack…something moving…Something with jet-black, slimy skin, long, think, bony arms. The back of a cylindrical head leaned back as a pair of snarling teeth parted with a long, sinuous tail ending in a large spike lifting up…

"Get Down!" Drake yelled, whipping out the Speargun.

Deadstreak immediately ducked, as Drake fired, just as the Xenomorph leapt out.

The spear cut through the monster's arm, sending Acid Blood flying onto the wall of the cave.

Before Drake could react, the Xenomorph slammed into him, forcing him to the ground. He tried to move, but his arms and legs were pinned down. He could only look up, in shock and horror, at the snarling beast on top of him.

The savage, dirty teeth parted as the second, inner mouth reared back, about to deliver the killer blow…

* * *

CLIFFHANGER! And, just to be totally evil, the next chapter won't be for nearly a week! Yeah, I'm evil. I know. But hopefully, after a week, you'll be nicely ready for the fight…and I'm aware that this chapter was mostly the set-up for the trial.

However, in a little under a week, I can promise you a whole chapter of all-out space-monster action!

Finally, I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you all a happy Easter!


	19. Bug Hunt

Wow…Thursday already? Well, here it is…the long-awaited showdown! That's assuming Drake even survives…

Man, what a week. I've met relatives I didn't even know I had. However, I have some bad news: The next term at school is going to be busy for me (Exams, Work Experience and coursework), so I may not be able to update often. However, I will try and update as often as possible.

Yautja, Predator and all related characters and trademarks are © 20th Century Fox.

* * *

BUG HUNT

Drake struggled in vain against the strength pinning him down. He could only watch in horror as the Inner Mouth shot forward…

Suddenly, something struck hard and fast against the side of the Xenomorph's face, sending the monster flying across the room. Deadstreak landed next to Drake, spear extended.

"Come on!" He said quickly, as the Xenomorph got to its feet and leapt forward. Deadstreak thrust his spear at the monster cutting through the flesh on its chest as an arc of acid blood sprayed across the room. The monster stopped on all fours and ran forward.

Drake whipped out his speargun and fired at the Xenomorph. The spear caught the creature's arm, causing it to screech in pain and anger. The beast suddenly stopped running and swung its razor-sharp tail round, but Drake ducked underneath it and, bringing his wristblades up in a short, sharp motion, cut clean through the flesh. The ends of the blades broke off from the acid blood as the yellow-green acid rained onto the front of Drake's armour.

Drake grabbed the armour and pulled it off, throwing it to the floor as the acid melted through it.

A bolt of white-hot plasma fired from Deadstreak's plasmacaster. The Xenomorph leapt nimbly onto the wall and scrambled up, narrowly avoiding the searing blast.

"You OK?" Deadstreak asked as the Xenomorph slithered into the shadows.

"Yeah," Drake said shakily, "For a moment there, I thought you were going to let that thing kill me."

"For a moment," Deadstreak confessed, "So did I."

Suddenly, the Xenomorph leapt out of the darkness, grabbing Deadstreak against the wall.

Acting on sheer instinct, Drake grabbed the Xenomorph's tail and pulled it back. The foul creature's inner mouth stopped just short of Deadstreak's face. Even with his superhuman strength, it took an almost Herculean effort from Drake to pull the creature off, sending it flying across the room.

The monster swung the end of its tail, sending acid blood flying through the air. The two young warriors rolled to the side to avoid the blood, Drake instantly throwing his Smart Disc through the air. The Xenomorph nimbly dodged, even as the Disc turned behind it. It leapt forward, but the disc suddenly cut through the flesh on its side. It flew back to Drake's hand, the blades already melting away from the acid.

Deadstreak leapt forward with his spear, but the Xenomorph dodged to one side, bringing up its tail and slamming Deadstreak in the side. Deadstreak grunted in pain as a few drops of acid blood burned at his skin.

Drake fired a searing bolt from his Plasmacaster. The Xenomorph tried to dodge, but the blast still hit it in the back in a shower of sparks and fire. It shrieked in pain and, finally, collapsed to the ground.

A split-second later, though, it leapt up again, but with a deep, raw, bleeding wound on its back. As it ran forward, Deadstreak suddenly grabbed its tail and swung it round, hurling it into the wall of the cave. The Xenomorph's claw flew up, scratching through the metal of Deadstreak's mask. He staggered back and the Xenomorph leapt at Drake again.

Drake brought up his spear as the monstrous beast flew through the air toward him. After a split-second, the spear cut through the front of the Xenomorph's face and, a moment later, emerged from the back of the skull, with the acid blood already burning halfway through it.

The Xenomorph's lifeless body slumped to the ground.

Drake leaned back against the wall, breathing heavily. Deadstreak walked over to him, nursing the wound on his side. They both looked down at the head of the Xenomorph.

"Take the skull," Deadstreak suddenly said, "It's yours."

Drake stood there, stunned for a second.

"You sure?" He asked.

Deadstreak nodded. "You've earned it. You killed the thing."

Drake smiled beneath his mask, leaned down, and pulled the Xenomorph's snarling head from its body.

However, as he finished, several large drops of clear liquid dropped down. Drake looked down as several drops of the clear, sticky liquid dropped onto his arm. He took a second to realise what it was: Saliva.

Drake and Deadstreak both looked up, and their eyes shot open.

Another three Xenomorphs were snarling at them from the ceiling…

* * *

ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER! I AM SO EVIL!

Hope you all enjoyed the fight. Thing is: Drake and Deadstreak almost got killed fighting one Xenomorph. Now they've got to take on three! Oh well, at least they seem to be getting on now. Check back soon- more updates are on the way ASAP!


	20. The Swarm

It's me again! Well, I did it…I got to the Xenomorphs and over 50 reviews before the end of the Easter holidays…but I've got to go back to school tomorrow! Therefore, to lift my spirits, I may well post another chapter tomorrow.

Anyway, enjoy this here chapter. I also figured I'd explain what's coming up in this story. Well, there's more action (obviously), then when Drake gets back to Earth…well, I won't spoil it. But there'll be violence. And drama. And romance.

Enjoy!

Yautja, Predator and all related characters and trademarks are © 20th Century Fox.

* * *

THE SWARM

"Oh…C'jit…"

The three Xenomorphs, hissing savagely, leapt down toward the three warriors. They instinctively rolled to the side, just as one of their tails grabbed Deadstreak by the leg and hurled him into a wall. Drake whipped out his speargun, but the monster dodged just as another one slammed into Drake's back, knocking him to the ground. Drake rolled across the room just in time to dodge the claws of the beast.

Meanwhile, Deadstreak extended his wristblades and severed the end of the Xenomorph's tail. Deadstreak leapt back and prepared to fire his plasmacaster, but one of the Xenomorphs grabbed him and pinned him to the wall.

Drake pulled himself free from the grip of another creature and fly-kicked Deadstreak's opponent in the head.

"Come on!" Drake yelled as he desperately tried to fend off one of the Xenomorphs, "We have to go!"

He fired a burst from his Plasmacaster toward a Xenomorph standing in front of a passageway. The demon leapt to the side, allowing Drake and Deadstreak to run down the passageway.

"Hey!" Deadstreak yelled, "I'm not running from those bugs!"

"For Christ's sake," Drake snapped, "How about using your head for something other than using your mouth? Like Scarface always said: 'even the bravest warrior knows when a fight cannot be won'. And besides, we're not trying to escape. We're just putting some distance between them and us, so we can come up with a plan before they rip us to pieces!"

At that moment, Deadstreak looked back to see the three monsters tearing through the cave after them. He fired a bolt from the Speargun, which cut into the side of one of the Xenomorphs. It hissed angrily as its acid blood sprayed all over the cave wall. It leapt forward, just as Drake leapt forth and swung his Glaive toward the beast. It cut through, sending acid blood flying in a wide arc.

The two young warriors ran to the end of the passageway, and then quickly turned round, quickly firing a bolt from each of their plasmacasters. The searing, white-hot blasts struck the front of one of the monsters in a shower of flame and sparks. After a brief second, its charred corpse fell to the ground.

Another one ran forward through the smoke, only for Deadstreak to kick it in the face.

Unfortunately, they turned round to see themselves backed against a wall.

"Not good," Drake commented, "Now what?"

"What do you think?" Deadstreak answered, taking out his spear.

"One each. You ready?"

Drake shrugged. "What the hell."

They both leapt forward, slamming into the beasts and taking them by surprise. Drake struggled against the Xenomorph's strength as its foul claws tore at his flesh and its inner mouth leaned back.

With a monumental force, Drake kicked the monster in the ribs, hurling it away. However, it leapt forth again. Drake ducked, slashing at its underside with his spear. The monster stopped not far from him, allowing Drake to quickly shoot it in the side with the Speargun as it turned.

A few feet away, Deadstreak leapt up as his enemy ran at him. He fired a large net from his netgun, catching the monster and hurling it into the wall. It hissed in fury as the net cut through its flesh, until the netting finally melted away. However, as it leapt out, Deadstreak fired a bolt from his plasmacaster, instantly frying the foul monster.

The other Xenomorph sped toward Drake, who fired a searing plasmacaster bolt at it. The blast hit it right in the face, causing the entire head to explode in a shower of acid blood.

The two young Yautja stood there for a second, sighing heavily. Deadstreak leaned against the wall. Drake turned to see the wound in his side again.

"You didn't heal it?" Drake asked.

"When did I have the chance?" Deadstreak shrugged. He took out a Medicomp dagger and jabbed it into his side, howling in fury in the few seconds it took the injury to heal.

"Come on," Drake said, "We'd best get moving."

They set off down another passageway. As they journeyed further in, the caverns became increasingly dark. More and more bizarre webbing appeared over the walls.

"We must be near the middle of the hive," Deadstreak commented, "So…where are the Xenomorphs?"

"Good question," Drake shrugged as he looked round, "I don't hear anything…I smell them, but all this stuff smells like them."

They slowly entered another part of the cave, covered in webbing.

"See anything?" Drake whispered as they looked round.

"No…" Deadstreak answered, "Wait…Look Out!"

Drake turned round as, in the blink of an eye, another Xenomorph leapt down, striking him in the chest. Deadstreak grabbed the creature's tail and pulled it off, only for it to thrash its tail and slam him into the floor.

Suddenly, the rock beneath them gave way. They and the Xenomorph collapsed into the darkness, amidst a vast cloud of dust and debris.

All Drake could see was Darkness. Then, finally, some kind of light…barely enough to see by…to see…

"Eggs…" Drake realised. "Oh no…"

"What?" Deadstreak asked as he slowly got up.

"Those are eggs," Drake answered, "And that means…"

Deadstreak finished for him: "We're in the nest."

Something on a wall suddenly caught Drake's attention.

"Dachande!" Drake gasped, running over to the wall. Dachande was pinned to the wall in dense, green webbing.

"Look out!" Dachande grunted.

Drake turned round as the egg behind him split open. What looked like a huge, fleshy spider or crab with a long tail leapt forth.

"Facehugger!" Deadstreak yelled, as Drake swung his wristblades through the air, cutting through the facehugger.

"Did any of them get you?" Drake asked.

"Of course not," Dachande answered, "I've still got my mask on!"

"Hold on- I'll get you out."

Drake and Deadstreak pulled on the thick webbing, tearing it from the wall.

"What happened to the others?" Deadstreak asked.

"They got them…" Dachande gasped, "Tu'Thaka and I met up with Lua'Kia and Kura'Ki…and they just…Paya…they came out of nowhere. We were all blindsided…"

"Where are they?"

"Found them!" Drake called, as he ran over to the other three, who were still pinned to a wall.

"They've still got their masks," he called, "They haven't been facehugged. Give me a hand here!"

The three of them tore away the webbing in a few seconds, releasing the other three Yautja.

"Thanks…" Lua'Kia gasped as she got up, "Where are the Xenomorphs?"

"Good question," Drake answered. "Come on, let's get out of…"

Drake was cut off by a loud hissing from above him.

The three of them slowly looked up as a black, writhing mass seemed to rapidly descend from the walls.

As they looked up, they saw what the mass was: Dozens of hideous, monstrous Xenomorphs.

All around them, the tops of the eggs began to open and thin, orange-yellow legs started to emerge.

"Whatever you do," Tu'Thaka instructed calmly, "Don't panic."

Another, even louder, hissing and screeching began, above and behind them.

The six young Yautja turned round to see a huge, monstrous Xenomorph Queen.

"OK," Tu'Thaka sighed, "Now we can panic."

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED!

Next Chapter: Six amateur Yautja Vs. an entire Xenomorph hive, including the Queen!

More of this story is coming soon. Sorry for the cliffhanger, I just love an exciting end to a chapter.


	21. Trapped in the Labyrinth

Know what? Do yourself a favour- pick up a DVD of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail". That movie is just so damn funny…it gets better every time I see it! An utterly hilarious classic.I've just watched it and I can barely write for laughing!

Ah…the first chapter I've written since school started again. And already I'm up to my elbows in work. But I'm damned if I'm going to let that stop me from finishing this story!

Oh well. Enjoy the chapter. Including this, there's about two or three chapters left before Drake heads back home, so, therefore, the trial is now nearing an end. But believe me, there's plenty more left of this story. Action, romance and adventure are all on the way. And now, I'm going to stop yammering.

Yautja, Predator and all related characters and trademarks are © 20th Century Fox.

* * *

TRAPPED IN THE LABYRINTH

The swarm of Xenomorphs descended like a torrent of black lightening toward the six young Yautja.

"Bring it on, freaks!" Tu'Thaka yelled, charging up his Plasmacaster.

"Are you nuts?" Lua'kia shouted as the beasts leapt at them.

"Going down!" Dachande interrupted, firing a bolt from his plasmacaster into the ground. The rock gave way beneath them in an instant, even as the Xenomorphs poured through after them.

Tu'Thaka took out a firebomb and threw it up. The device exploded in mid-air, the Xenomorphs falling back and screeching in rage and sudden fear.

"Run!" Drake yelled over their furious screeching. The six warriors immediately turned and ran through the corridor, even as they heard the rock breaking behind them.

After a few seconds, they wound up at a junction with a tunnel leading left, and one leading right.

"Which way?" Hura'Ki asked as the Xenomorphs shot down the tunnel toward him.

"This way!" Deadstreak yelled, gesturing to the left

"What?" Dachande objected as he fired at the monsters, "We don't know what's in there!"

"Could it be any worse than what's in here?" Drake interrupted as the six of them fled for their lives down the corridor.

Suddenly, the rock on the floor in front of them smashed open, as a monstrous, hideous, snarling face burst up followed by a massive, muscular body and a gigantic crest on the back of the head.

"The Queen!" Lua'Ki shouted, "Now what?"

Drake suddenly leapt forward, lashing out with his spear even as the Queen swatted him into a wall. The Queen charged toward him, at which point Drake leapt up, allowing the Queen to run headfirst into the cave wall.

"This way!" He yelled, as he aimed his Plasmacaster up at the ceiling.

The other five immediately leapt up over the Queen, even as she got up. Drake backed away slightly and fired, causing a torrent of rock to rain down into the tunnel, the thunderous sound of the collapse drowning out the furious screeches of the Xenomorphs.

Finally, the deafening noise stopped, and the cloud of dust and debris parted to reveal a huge, thick barrier of rock.

"Nice one," Tu'Thaka sighed as he leaned against the wall. "So…what's the plan?"

"No idea," Drake shrugged, "Anyone got anything?"

"Nope," Dachande answered, "What're our assets? Weapons?"

"Almost completely empty."

"Location?"

"Hundreds of feet underground, surrounded by alien bug-monsters."

"Well, the assets conversation went by in a flash," Deadstreak shrugged.

"Right," Hura'Ki sighed, "One: We've got to get out of here. Two: We can't get out of here. Did I miss anything?"

"I say we get the hell out of here," Drake announced, "We've all killed at least one of those bastards. We've all passed the trial. There's nothing to stay here for."

"What about those things?" Dachande asked, "What if they get to the surface? This planet's inhabited."

"OK…" Drake thought as he glanced around, "I've got a plan."

He removed his wristband.

"A plasma-nuke," He announced, "Just about powerful enough to send these caves up in smoke."

"Wait a minute," Lua'Ki interrupted, "Those things are only for emergencies."

"You don't think this counts as an emergency?" Drake snapped. "We just need to get out of here before the plasma-nuke blows."

"I saw a computer map of the cave before we got here," Tu'Thaka said, "There's a tunnel not far from here that leads to a large chamber. From there, there's a quick route to the surface."

"OK, then," Drake answered as he started pushing buttons on the wristband. "I'll set the plasma-nuke for 12 minutes. That should give us enough time."

"Yeah," Dachande answered, "I don't mean to put a downer on your plan or anything, but there's about 18 of those Xenomorphs between us and where we're going. And we can't even get past that rock."

"There's another way," Tu'Thaka announced, "Just follow me."

"Let's do it, then," Drake said as he pressed the last button. He threw the device to the floor as it started bleeping.

"Everybody: Run like hell!"

The six Yautja sped down the tunnel, Tu'Thaka leading the way.

It seemed like an eternity before they finally reached the tunnel where, at the end, they could see sunlight.

"There it is!" Hura'Ki cheered, "We made it!"

Suddenly, something tore its way up from the ground behind them. The hordes of Xenomorphs snarled angrily as they prepared to attack.

"Run!"

The six of them sped toward the exit as the deafening sound of a plasma-nuclear explosion sounded behind them. The rock gave way to the unfathomable force as an enormous blue sphere of blinding Plasma extended, consuming everything behind the warriors as they leapt out of the cave. The Xenomorphs howled in fury as the energy burned away their acidic flesh.

Her flesh burning as her acid blood sprayed out, the Queen ran forward in rage as the rock above and below collapsed…

Finally, within the enormous sphere, the awesome power of a nuclear explosion was unleashed…

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Drake coughed as the cloud of dust and disintegrated rock drifted around him and the others.

"Everyone OK?" He said groggily, slowly getting to his feet as the other five warriors got up.

"Think so," Dachande grunted, "Everyone's alive at least…wait…Lua'Ki!"

"She's OK!" Hura'Ki reported, "Just knocked out."

"At least we all made it," Drake sighed as the rock behind him suddenly quaked.

In a shower of charred rock, the Xenomorph Queen suddenly burst up from the rock, screeching in fury.

Drake turned round and, in shock and horror, yelled:

"Oh, Give us a frickin' Break!"

* * *

Dum Dum Dummmmm… Yet another cliffhanger!

Next Chapter: Drake takes on the savage Xenomorph Queen!

(And after the trial's over, which isn't long, I will be taking it easier on the cliffhangers.)


	22. The Queen

Sorry about the late update, I've had coursework to do and I've started a new fic, so…well…sorry. Anyway, here's chapter 232. Also, in a few chapters, this will officially be the longest story I've ever written, as well as the most successful.

Well, anyway, enjoy the chapter, and the showdown between Drake and… El Queenie! Those lamenting the constant cliffhangers may be relieved to hear that this chapter brings a close to the Kiande Amedha Trial.

I don't own Predator. I wish I did, though. I'd have made more than three movies, I'll tell you that!

* * *

THE QUEEN

The monstrous Queen's tail lashed down toward Drake. He rolled forward and tried to slice at the tail, but it caught him in the chest and hurled him across the ground. He grunted in pain as he skidded across the ground, and looked up to see Deadstreak leap up to attack the Queen along with Hura'Ki, but the monster swatted them both away.

"Come on!" Tu'Thaka yelled to Dachande as they both fired their Plasmacasters.

The Queen screeched in pain at the searing blasts, but simply charged forward and swatted them both away.

Drake leapt up, spinning in mid-air and extending his spear, only for it to suddenly stop in the Queen's jaws. The beast swung its head down and smashed Drake into the ground.

Hura'Ki leapt onto the queen's head and extended his spear, but the foul monster flicked its head up and sent him flying off.

Taking the opportunity, Drake thrust his wristblades up and cut into the Queen's throat. The Queen roared with pain and fury, hurling Drake into a pile of rocks.

Not far away, Deadstreak hurled his smart disc at the monster. The Queen tried to swat it away, but the spinning blades cut through the flesh of her arm, sending acid blood spraying in a massive arc.

Tu'Thaka hurled his spear at the Queen, catching her in the side. The Queen roared in fury and lunged toward him. Tu'Thaka rolled underneath her, lashing out with his disc, but roaring in pain as the acid blood rained onto his back.

A sudden series of spears cut into the Queen's arm. She and the young Yautja looked round as Lua'Ki leapt into the air and lashed out with her spear. The Queen caught the spear and threw it away, extending her inner mouth toward Lua'Ki. She dodged to the side, but the inner mouth cut through the flesh of her arm. She cried out in pain as the Queen stomped on her head, impaling her into the ground.

"Get away from her, you bitch!"

Dachande leapt up and fired his Plasmacaster, catching the Queen in the side of the face. The Queen roared in pain, but her tail shot forward and stabbed Dachande in the side. He roared in agony and collapsed to his knees as bright green blood gushed out onto the ground.

"Dachande!" Drake cried, leaping up and stabbing the back of the Queen's crest!

"Look out!" Hura'Ki yelled, leaping up and tackling Drake off the Queen, just in time to miss the razor-ended tail.

As they hit the ground, Drake's plasmacaster detached and skidded across the ground.

"Wait," Drake thought, "I've got an idea! Everybody, Run!"

"I'll carry Deadstreak!" Tu'Thaka yelled as he helped the injured warrior to his feet.

Drake ran forward and jumped out as the Queen bit at him. With all his strength and speed, he thrust the Plasmacaster forth, between the Queen's jaws.

"You. Are. One. Ugly. Mother. F…"

Drake leapt out as the Queen bit down into the Plasmacaster.

The cannon exploded in a huge burst of blue fire, burning through the acidic skin and flesh. The Queen's cry of fury, horror and agony were drowned out by the deafening explosion.

Even as the searing explosion burned straight through her head, the Queen's tail lashed out, stabbing right into Drake's stomach. And cutting through the flesh. Drake's eyes opened beneath his mask as his red-and-green blood spilled out.

The explosion parted to reveal a jagged, burning, green-and-black stump where the Queen's head has been.

Drake saw the beast's massive form collapse to the ground.

And then, everything went black…

* * *

And the cliffhangers just keep coming! Is this the end of Drake?

'Course not. A few more chapters and we go back to the Colony, where we can concentrate on the characters again. (But there'll be plenty of action, trust me!)

I know that chapter was kind of short. Oh well, hopefully it was still good.

Can anyone spot the two classic lines in this chapter?


	23. After the Trial

I don't believe it. I don't bloody believe it. 69 reviews and now officially over 5,000 hits…sweet Jesus…in my book, that's as good a reason as any for a celebration!

Well, there's some bad news for Xenomorph fans out there: The Kiande Amedha trial is now over. Finished. Kaput. There's this little wrap-up chapter, and then Drake's heading home to face school, Danny and his goons, a murderous corporation that's out to kill him, and, worst of all, Rebecca. No rest for the wicked, huh?

Incidentally, I'd like to again point out that the idea for this story comes from my good friend Joe Hartwell. While I came up with the character history and story, the basic idea was his. Joe, I just hope I'm doing the character justice here.

Yautja, Predator and all related characters and trademarks are © 20th Century Fox.

* * *

AFTER THE TRIAL

_Mom…_

_Dad…_

Drake ran, terrified, through the alley, finally coming to a stop as he heard the sound of gunfire and explosions behind him. He looked up to see a great, dark shape looming over him…

"Drake…?"

The images before Drake suddenly vanished to be replaced by endless, inky darkness…

"Drake…?"

Drake suddenly became aware of where he was, of a sharp pain in his chest…

He recognised the voice.

"Scarface...?"

"He's awake!"

Drake's eyes finally drifted open, looking up to see Scarface and the others standing around him.

"Finally," Dachande smiled, "We were worried, Drake."

"What…what happened…?"

"You don't remember?"

"Remember what?" Drake asked, wincing at the pain in his chest as he sat up, realising he was in a Yautja tent. "What happened…I remember…we were fighting Xenomorphs…"

"Drake, the trial's over. We all passed…and guess what: You came first out of all of us!"

"What?"

"You killed the queen," Tu'Thaka told him. "Blew her head clean off."

Drake suddenly realised that Dachande had a large scar on his side.

"You and I got the worst injuries," Dachande explained, "Especially you…the Queen stabbed you right in the chest. Man, you almost didn't make it…"

"He's right," Scarface told him, "Just be glad they got you back here so soon."

"Well…hold on…what about the hive?"

"The plasma-nuke worked. The entire hive's gone. You've all passed with flying colours." Scarface smiled. "Congratulations, Drake."

"You guys look different," Drake thought out loud, "Wait a minute…"

"We all went through the braiding, " Dachande explained, "It hurt like hell, too."

"How long was I out?"

"Three days."

"Three Days!" Drake exclaimed. "Sweet mother of Pauk…"

"Language!" Scarface snapped.

"Sorry. So, am I meant to go through the…"

"No. You don't have enough hair."

"Besides," Lua'Ki answered, "It wouldn't suit you."

Drake leaned back and smiled slightly.

"I guess so."

"Well, then," Scarface said proudly as Drake stood up, "Well done, Drake. From this moment forth, you can consider yourself a fully-fledged Yautja."

Suddenly, Deadstreak stepped forth, a severe look on his face. The look of pride of Drake's face soon became an irritated stare.

Surprisingly, Deadstreak suddenly extended his hand and smiled. Drake smiled back and shook his head.

"I never did thank you," Deadstreak admitted, "I owe you one. Hell, more than one."

"No problem," Drake smiled back, "I'll give you a rematch someday!"

Deadstreak paused for a moment.

"I have to admit…" He finally said, "…I was wrong about you, Drake. Whether you're human or not, you proved yourself back there. So…basically…I'm sorry about the whole 'moderately evolved monkey' comment."

"Apology accepted," Drake smiled.

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The following day, Drake, now a fully-fledged Yautja, stood before the ship.

"We'll miss, you, man," Dachande said as they shook hands, "See you soon?"

"Will do." Drake answered. "I just want to say one thing before I leave…even though we all faced certain death back there, I wouldn't have missed it for anything. It's been an honour to hunt alongside all of you."

After a few more fond farewells, Drake and Scarface turned and walked into the ship.

"Did you read that off the back of your hand?" Scarface asked casually.

"Yeah," Drake admitted with a laugh, "I did."

* * *

Thus ends the Kiande Amedha trial…hope you enjoyed that little wrap-up.

Next chapter: Drake returns to the colony…but new challenges, and one great surprise, await…

Believe me, Drake's saga is far from over…

The braiding is the Yautja ritual where the young Yautja's hair is put in dreadlocks. As the hair is fused to the scalp, it is excruciatingly painful, but if the Yautja shows any pain they have to go through the Kiande Amedha trial again.


	24. Return

Not a lot to say on this update. Oh, well. Basically Drake returns to the colony at long last after the Kiande Amedha trial. So the good news is: No more cliffhangers! For a while, at least. But I will be taking it easier on the suspense.

Yautja, Predator and all related characters are © 20th Century Fox.

* * *

RETURN

Drake and Scarface stepped quickly off the ship, breathing in the cool, midnight air.

_At least it doesn't have two suns,_ Drake thought as he removed his mask, feeling the cool breeze against his face for the first time in what felt like an eternity.

He looked quietly over the city. It was hard to believe he'd only been gone for two days…time sure as hell moved slower when you were fighting alien monsters.

He tenderly felt the scar on his cheek that formed the mark of his clan, burned in Xenomorph blood…the symbol of his new status as a fully-fledged Yautja warrior.

"Come on," Scarface interrupted his thoughts, "You may be a full Yautja, but you still have School in the morning."

"Damn it," Drake muttered under his breath as they walked toward the city.

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"Late again, Drake?" Mrs. French asked as Drake entered the classroom. "Ah well, you've just gotten back after two weeks, and…" She looked up. "Good God, what happened to your face?" She asked as she saw the mark on Drake's cheek.

"Nothing," Drake shrugged before taking his seat.

Adam looked up, half-shocked to see Drake.

"Where the hell have you been?" He asked in surprise.

"Nice to see you too," Drake said sarcastically as he sat down, "I miss anything?"

"Just everyone getting bored stupid. Where've you been, though?"

"Vacation," Drake answered.

"Well, what happened to your cheek?"

"Got burned. Hurt like hell, as well."

"Looks like it."

"So how's Max?"

"Prob'ly be glad to see you again. You'll be happy to know that we beat the crap out of Danny and one of his friends in your honour."

"Nice one," Drake smiled.

"I bet Rebecca's going to be glad to see you as well," Adam smirked.

Drake half-shuddered at the thought of having to put up with her about that…he'd almost forgotten about the whole thing in the midst of the trial, and wasn't at all looking forward to another uncomfortable conversation…then again, he thought, considering the way he'd been starting to feel about her…

"Yo! Drake!" Adam waves his hand in front of Drake's face.

"Huh?" Drake suddenly snapped out of it. "Sorry. Wasn't listening."

"I said, Danny wants a rematch once you're back."

"Works for me," Drake shrugged.

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"Hey, you're back!" Max smiled as Drake and Adam sat down at the lunch table, "Knew you'd be back soon." He then leaned to Adam and whispered: "I owe you five bucks, Bro."

"So, Adam told me Danny's out for my guts…again."

"Yep. Been going on about it since you left. That guy's been yakking about it since you left. Oh, and Rebecca was asking where you were."

_C'jit,_ Drake thought, _I've only been back too minutes…_

"Oh well. You going to eat those fries, Adam?"

"Hell, yes."

"Uh…Hey, Drake."

Drake suddenly shuddered, looking up to see Rebecca standing there as she flicked back some of her light brown hair.

"Hey," Drake shrugged, trying to appear indifferent.

"So…where've you been?"

"Just on vacation," Drake lied in response. "I'm going to get some more fries."

He got up and, as he walked past Rebecca, whispered: "Long story. Don't ask."

_Great,_ He thought in frustration. _There's the last person I wanted to talk to…_

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"Nice stash, boys…" The gang lieutenant smirked, "X…hemp…coke… Nice."

"We got the guns as well, man. Thing is, ever since Los Matadores got knocked off by some psycho a few months back, thing is we've had those god-damn Jamaican drug-holes trying to bust in on our turf."

"No worries, man. We managed to swipe some nice tech. Take a look, dude."

He pulled away a tarp to reveal a small number of large, bizarre weapons.

"Nice. That's Prometheus tech…"

A sudden growling and clicking filled the penthouse around them. One of them looked up.

"What the…"

"What?"

"Just thought I saw something over there…"

A shimmering object suddenly leapt out of the darkness onto the table between them.

"Jesus Shit!"

In a surge of blue electrical energy, a tall, malevolent, armoured figure suddenly revealed itself.

"Jesus Shit!"

One of them grabbed one of the weapons, only to be stabbed in the face with a massive wristblade.

Drake swung his Spear round and cut straight through another one of them, before jumping at another and stabbing him in the gut.

Behind him, one of them grabbed one of the weapons and aimed it at Drake as he turned round.

He pulled the trigger, sending a stream of green energy slamming into Drake's back. Drake was hurled back into a wall, grunting in pain. The gangster stood over him as he slumped to the ground.

"Time to die, Freak…"

The weapon charged up, about to fire another stream right at Drake's head…

Drake suddenly grabbed the spear from before him and thrust it up, right into the gang member's head.

The dead gangster slumped to the ground.

Drake walked over to the weapons and, taking out the Glaive, smashed them to pieces.

_That's that_, He thought, _I am back in business!_

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"So nothing went wrong this time?" Scarface asked.

"Nope," Drake answered. "Maybe I can finally get things sorted out."

"What about Rebecca?"

Drake shuddered.

"Wait a minute…" Scarface mused, "Drake…am I to believe you like that girl?"

"What?" Drake snapped, slightly blushing.

"Just asking," Scarface smirked. "What about the other two Exosuits?"

"I'll just have to find them. Thing is, they could be anywhere. No rest for the wicked, I guess. Well, I'm going to bed."

He stood up and left the room.

_By the looks of things,_ He thought, _I'll need as much rest as I can get…_

* * *

See? I kept my promise- no cliffhanger! But don't expect that to be a permanent thing. Anyway, there's some good drama and romance coming up, as well as plenty of action. There's also one really big piece of action coming your way a well.

I've now planned up to the end of this story. The end is in sight, but there's still plenty left in this story.


	25. Surprise Confession

Well, I've set myself a new goal: By the end of this story, I'm going to try and get up to 100 reviews! Can I do it? Fingers crossed. There's still plenty of time. And don't think that just because the Xenomorphs are out of the way, I'm going to suddenly stop the story. Oh, no. Far from it. Trust me, there's absolutely coming Drake's way.

Anyway, the first of the several events to come are going to be a big change in Drake's life…but for the better, or the worse?

Yautja, Predator and all related characters and trademarks are © 20th Century Fox.

* * *

SURPRISE CONFESSION

"Sir?"

The old man looked up from his desk.

"This had better be good news."

"Well, in some way…" The receptionist answered, "Apparently, our idea to monitor one of those gangs who made of with the Prometheus technology paid off."

"And?"

"Well, we have another sighting on the creature. Apparently it tore right through them."

"And the weapons?"

"Destroyed, sir."

"Very well. What other gangs have Prometheus Technology."

"Just Les Serviteurs."

"Ah, yes. The Jamaican voodoo posy."

"So…what do we do?"

"I think it's about time we gave the Monster Squad another crack at our friend. Keep them around Les Serviteurs, and once the creature makes a move, the Monster Squad will be waiting."

"Yes, sir."

He turned and looked out the window as the receptionist left the room.

"It won't get away this time…"

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Scarface entered the Kehrite to see Drake pounding away viciously at a computer-generated dummy. Eventually, Drake saw him and turned round.

"Stressed?" Scarface asked casually.

"No." Drake said flatly as he turned and went to leave.

"Drake, I can tell something's wrong with you. Something's been wrong for months…before the trial."

"It's nothing!" Drake snapped and walked quickly, and angrily, outside. "I'm going to school."

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"How the hell do you do that?" Max asked, bewildered.

Adam looked up, after swallowing a slice of pizza.

"Do what?" He asked.

"Bro, you eat and eat, but you don't gain a pound."

"Must be my metabolism. Guess I'm just one of the lucky ones."

"Yeah, well you're guts going to explode if you keep that up."

"Don't be stupid," Adam said as he downed a packet of Pop Rocks before opening a can of soda.

"Hey, wait a minute! That _does_ make your stomach explode!"

"Don't be stupid! That's just an urban legend."

"Well, what do you think, Drake?" Max asked.

Drake, who had been completely silent so far, turned round.

"About what? I wasn't listening."

"What do you keep thinking about?"

"Nothing."

"Probably Rebecca," Adam shrugged.

"Shut up."

"I'm just saying. Besides, I don't hear you denying it."

"Hey," Max interrupted, "Speak of the devil."

Drake turned round to see Rebecca standing there.

"How long have you been there?" Drake demanded irritably.

"A few minutes," Rebecca admitted.

"Well, what do you want?"

"Just…can I talk to you later?"

"Later?"

"Yeah. Later. Round my place."

"Sure," Drake shrugged, "See you after school.

"Get in there, man!" Adam laughed as he slapped Drake on the back.

"Shut up, Adam."

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"Nice place," Drake thought out loud.

"Thanks," Rebecca said nervously.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Just…wanted to see how you were doing."

"Just…the usual. You?"

"Not much. I was just…kind of worried."

"Worried about what?" Drake was now starting to feel more than slightly nervous.

"About you. I mean, considering what you do…when you were gone for all that time, I got kind of worried."

"Why?"

"Drake…I…" tears started rolling down her face. Her voice suddenly became a half-angry, half-sad shout. "…I thought you were dead!"

"And why would that have bothered you?" Drake said irritably.

Rebecca bit her tongue and stood silent for a moment.

"Because…Drake…I…"

Drake was getting more nervous by the second.

"You what?"

"…" Rebecca swallowed a lump in her throat. "…I love you!"

Drake was immediately shocked beyond words. This was definitely not something he'd expected.

Rebecca suddenly ran forward, wrapped her arms round Drake, and kissed him…

* * *

Heh, heh…another cliffhanger! Oh what are you complaining about? It's not like this is my usual kind of cliffhanger. Well, hope you liked the little surprise revelation at the end of this chapter. But, to be honest, you saw it coming, didn't you? Admit it. Oh well, please review anyway.


	26. Love

Life is funny. It's both "weird funny" and "ha-ha funny." Yes, it's a funny world…like when you desperately scramble to try and get a piece of coursework done, only to discover your teacher isn't there on the deadline date. As you may have guessed, that happened to me today. And now, with little else to do, I figured I'd write up another chapter, as well as apologise for the lack of description at the end of the last. It was kind of rushed, to be honest.

You're probably wondering what this could possibly have to do with this story. Well, when I started, I never imagined that it would turn into the monster-length saga it's now becoming. I didn't expect it to be over 20 chapters long, but now it may well reach somewhere in the region of 40. And that's no exaggeration. And now with almost 80 reviews… it's just funny how a little random idea my friend and I came up with in School has been this successful.

Yes, it's a funny life. But it's not a hilarious life.

Unless you like sick humour.

Anyway, this chapter's significant for a number of reasons: 1) It's a big change in the relationship between Drake and Rebecca…like you hadn't figured that out already. And 2) this is now officially the longest story I've ever written.

Yautja, Predator and all related characters

* * *

LOVE

Drake's eyes shot wide open as he felt the pressure of Rebecca's soft, inviting lips against his. At that moment, he was more shocked and amazed than he had ever been in his life (And for a half-Yautja teenager who'd just fought killer bug-monsters, that was really saying something).

Rebecca's arms tightened around Drake, pulling him further into the warm embrace

Drake's common sense immediately told him to put a stop to this…but he'd never once listened to his common sense, and he was damned if he was going to start by passing up an opportunity like this.

And so, he did the only thing he could, and kissed back.

They wrapped each their arms around each other as they kissed deeply, passion burning in both their souls.

Finally, after what felt to each of them like an eternity of bliss, they came apart.

"Drake…" Rebecca gasped, shocked at what she'd just done, "I…I'm sorry…I just…"

"Don't be," Drake said softly as he stroked her cheek.

Rebecca smiled happily and ran her fingers through Drake's hair as they looked deeply into each other's eyes.

"I love you…" Drake whispered softly as he finally realised it for the first time.

They embraced each other and kissed again, more slowly this time, allowing themselves all the time they could need to explore it as their hands traced each other's bodies…

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"Where the Pauk where you?" Scarface asked as Drake entered the ship. "It's 5:00!"

"Just…talking to someone," Drake answered, realising that he and Rebecca had been kissing for almost 2 hours.

"For 2 hours?"

"Yeah."

Scarface was clearly unconvinced, as Drake immediately turned and went toward his room.

"Not going for a hunt?"

"Just…got some thinking to do."

Drake made his way into his room and collapsed onto his bed.

_OK…she finds out who I am, screws my life up for me big-time…and then we end up falling in love with each other. Right. God, if my life were any more stupid, it'd be on Network TV…_

He lay down on his bed and looked up at the ceiling.

_Then again,_ He thought, _maybe I've been looking at this wrong. I mean, it's sure as hell obvious now that there's…well…something between us… and she's at least one person who I don't have to hide anything from._

He sat up again.

_Oh, to hell with this. I need some air._

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Drake leapt from one rooftop to another, crouching down as he felt the cool spring wind against him.

It was hard to believe, but it had now been nearly 8 months since this all started. And in those 7 months, it had more-than-once seemed as if his life was going straight down the toilet. Now, however, he started to think that things were actually starting to turn around.

Surprisingly, it was with a smile that he jumped down from the rooftop.

Behind him, however, a tall figure was watching Drake as he leapt down.

"It seems to be in this area of the city a lot."

"Very well. We'll set up Les Serviteurs around there…just so long as this creature is there."

"It will be, Sir. And the Monster Squad will be waiting."

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"So what'd Rebecca want to 'talk' about last night?" Adam taunted as Drake sat down in Chemistry.

"Nothing."

"Don't give me that, Drake. So what'd you two do?"

"What do you mean, 'what did we do'?"

"Dude. She's a girl. You're a guy. She asked you round your place. And the way she was asking about you. And the way she's been looking at you. It doesn't take an idiot to put two and two together."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Drake said, blushing slightly.

"Well I could always ask her," Adam shrugged, pointing to Rebecca, and not failing to notice Drake swallow a lump in his throat.

After a while, everyone stood up and left, and Drake was surprised when Rebecca started walking right beside him.

"Hey," She said nervously. "So…are we…still…you know…"

"Well, I…guess so…" Drake stammered.

At that moment, Adam and Max walked up beside them.

"Well, what's all this then, guv'nor?" Max quipped in a mock British language.

"Actually," Drake answered awkwardly, "Thing is…"

"Let me explain," Rebecca answered, before she suddenly grabbed Drake and kissed him again.

"Whoa." Max gasped, "Go Drake!"

* * *

In all honesty, I'm not overly thrilled about this chapter. Oh well, can't win them all. And I hope you noticed: No cliffy this time! Anyway, please review.

Coming Soon: Drake gets his long-awaited rematch with The Monster Squad! It's going to be a hell of a fight…and trust me, you won't believe how this one ends!


	27. Gangland Chaos

At last… a good chapter! Time, at last, for some good old-fashioned action. Also, the Exosuits make a return!

Yautja, Predator and all related characters and trademarks are © 20th Century Fox.

* * *

GANGLAND CHAOS

The cold night nipped at Drake as he kneeled on the edge of the building, watching the Les Serviteurs members arrive at the old, now-abandoned factory.

He was here for a few reasons: One, he needed to clear his head and get to grips with the dramatic change in the relationship between him and Rebecca. And Two: These gang members had Prometheus Technology with them.

He knew that this was the last of the gangs outfitted with Prometheus Technology stolen from the shipment. This meant that, as well as the plasma weapons; this was where he would find the two missing Exosuits.

He jumped down, still with his stealth, equipped, but nearby, a thermal camera had seen him jump down.

"It's here."

"Good. Remember: We need to recover our technology as well. Once things get started, that's when we send in the Monster Squad."

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"Finally… we get the last of this stuff."

"Ah, those assholes barely new what hit them, Thanks to those Exosuits. That's some nice tech…"

"So is this. Man, the whole city's ours now that we got this stuff!"

The Les Serviteurs leader stood up.

"Brothers!" He shouted, "The Demon is here for us! Now…take up your blades! Put on your ghost suits! The Demon will taste the wrath of… Les Serviteurs!"

All of the Les Serviteurs activated devices on their bodies and, after the room briefly filled with surges of electricity, all of them vanished, leaving only the two Exosuits as their pilots entered the cockpits.

A few seconds later, a small window on the ceiling opened…

Drake jumped quietly down onto the rafters, looking down, as his stealth remained active. He looked down, only to see the whole place empty.

He slowly stalked round the rafters, wondering where his prey had gone. Unfortunately, as he did so, he accidentally knocked a dislodged screw from the rafters.

"He's here, Brothers!" A whispering voice suddenly came, "Now!"

The sprinklers on the ceiling suddenly activated, showering the room with cold water. Drake grunted in frustration as, in a blinding surge of electricity, he was revealed.

"There!"

One of the Exosuits' guns started up, aiming at Drake. Drake leapt down, avoiding the hail of bullets and landing in the middle of the floor.

Bad move.

Blue electricity danced around the room as the heavily armed gang members were revealed.

"Kill it! Kill the Demon!"

Drake leapt through the air like lightening, nimbly dodging a veritable wave of energy, missiles and bullets, but it was only seconds before something found its mark. He roared in pain and anger as the weapons started slicing into him.

He leapt into the middle of the mob, swinging his spear round, just as one of the Exosuits fired a missile, which blasted straight into his back.

He needed a new plan, Drake thought as the Les Serviteurs prepared their blades to strike. Desperately, he rolled beneath them, swinging his spear as he went and cutting through them.

The Plasmacaster whirled to life, suddenly firing bursts of white-hot plasma at the gang members and sending them flying across the room in hellish explosions. He dodged another burst of gunfire and leapt at one of the suits, only for the mechanical claw to swat him away and send him crashing into a wall.

"Kill it! Blood for the Loa!"

One of them swung his blade down, but Drake easily grabbed it and kicked him off, before leaping up just in time to dodge another searing missile. He spun round in the air as another of the robots fired its gun, before unleashing another blast from the plasmacaster.

The blast shot toward one of the Exosuits, but it brought up the claw and blocked. After a might shower of sparks, the claw was sent flying off into the wall.

A plasma beam caught him in the side, causing him to howl with pain as his bright-green blood spilled out over the floor. Another blade caught him in the side as he screamed in pain.

"Now! Finish it!"

One of the Exosuits prepared its missile launcher to fire as Drake desperately tried to pick himself up…

Finally, Drake leapt up as the missile fired. He jumped into the rafters, only for the missile to swerve up and follow him.

Below, the gangsters opened fire, a hail of missiles and plasma beams firing up at him.

Drake leapt from the rafters as the blasts collided with the structure in an almighty explosion. The force hurled him across the room and clean through a wall, into another room filled with machinery.

He crashed into one of the machines before falling face-first to the ground. He pulled himself up as he heard the sound of grating metal and collapsing mortar.

Through the hole in the wall, he saw the roof of the previous room cave in, the gang members running for their lives even as they were buried in the avalanche of debris.

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The figure outside watched, with three soldiers behind him, as the roof of the building began to cave in.

"It's started."

"Excellent. Send in the Monster Squad. If it's not already dead, they'll finish the job."

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Drake immediately ran for the window as the roof above him collapsed. However, the debris immediately started raining down around him, forcing him to the floor. It gave way beneath him as the tonnes of debris forced him further down…

* * *

IT'S THE RETURN OF THE CLIFFHANGERS! Badly wounded, Drake is trapped under tonnes of rubble…and if he manages to get out of there alive, he's got to contend with the Monster Squad! Stay tuned…


	28. Trapped in the Wreck

Oh, God… I am messed up. Seriously. Just a personal thing. So don't be surprised if this chapter's a little off. Just… well… a slight thing in my life that could bugger things up for me quite badly.

But you know what? That's why I love writing: It's a chance to put all the stuff like that out of my head. So, as I try and get myself back to normal, here's the next chapter.

Where we last left Drake: He was trapped beneath tonnes of rubble, badly wounded… and if he makes it out of this, can he defeat the deadly Monster Squad?

One last piece of news: I am planning to join FictionPress, where I hope to publish the first part of my "Nightmares and Shadows" series. Check my profile for info on the characters if that interests you.

Yautja, Predator and all related characters and trademarks are © 20th Century Fox.

* * *

TRAPPED IN THE WRECK

Rebecca breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that her parents were out… at least now she wouldn't have to listen to them fighting.

She flicked on the TV to see the News.

"This just in," The reporter announced, "There has just been a major explosion in the factory area of the city. The blast apparently occurred in an abandoned factory, but it is possibly that those in the surrounding factories are at risk. The explosion has caused the building to collapse and has severely damaged two others. The cause of the explosion is still unknown…"

"Drake…" Rebecca gasped. "Oh my God…"

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_Can't breath…_ Drake thought as he felt the tonnes of rubble pressing down on him. _Come on… keep moving… don't black out… if you black out, you die…_

He started grabbing some pipes from around him, jagged pieces of rubble cutting at his sides. A sharp pain reminded him of the wounds on his sides and back.

_Ignore it,_ He told himself. _Just keep going._

He pressed his mouth to the ends of various pipes and sucked, getting nothing.

_Come on… one of these pipes has to go somewhere… has to have air in it…_

His hands kept on shifting as he pushed the debris aside. After about a minute, he realised he was shaking. This was followed by the realisation that the shock was setting in.

_Keep moving, Drake. Damn it, keep moving…_

Finally, he grabbed a pipe and sucked in some air.

_Got it. Not a lot of air, but it'll have to do._

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"The whole building's just a heap of rubble," The scientist radioed in, "There's no way it could have gotten out alive. All the Les Serviteurs are dead. Nothing human could survive that."

"This creature isn't human," Answered the voice on the other end of the radio. "Scan the debris for any signs of life."

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_I can't stay in here…_ Drake thought through the pain, _the debris keeps shifting… collapsing… before long, everything around… including… me gets flattened. Don't even know if I'm going the right way… could be going even further into this stuff, for all I know…_

_And I have to be careful… one wrong move and all these comes down on my head even further. _He dug through another collapsed wall.

_And that'd mean leaving my air supply behind. Not a big deal if it's only about 10 feet of debris… but if it's 20… or 30… or 40… or more… can't try it._

_Have to keep going… have to try… have to…_

_-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

"Well?" The old man asked over the radio.

"We've found something."

"I thought as much."

"The Monster Squad is ready. We'll bring it in this time."

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_Uh-oh…_ Drake thought as the pipe reached its limit behind him, _end of my lifeline. Just have to hope I'm close enough, or… no. Don't think about that. I have to make it out of here… come on… think of Scarface… think of Rebecca… deep breath…_

He sucked in as much air as he could hold.

_GO!_

He instantly started digging his way up, swiping, shifting, clawing and pushing aside the debris, even as his chest felt like it was on fire.

_Can't breath… can't stop… come on…_

Again and again he swiped away at the debris, finally reaching one last, huge steel girder.

_OK… one last push…_

He positioned himself under the girder, fixing his hands on it and tensing his muscles. He pushed it up and forwards with all his might. His lungs felt like they were on fire. He felt his muscles stretch, pull and tear. His ribs felt like they were going to smash to pieces in his chest.

_Damn it, Drake… don't you dare give up… not after all this… have to make it out of here… for her… Rebecca… come on… PUSH!_

With a gargantuan effort, he heaved the girder up, sending the debris flying away as finally; he felt cold, fresh air against himself.

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The scientist jumped back as the debris suddenly seemed to explode.

As a cloud of dust cleared, Drake stood amongst the rubble, bleeding bright green blood all over as he gasped for breath, barely able to stand.

After a second, he looked up to see the Monster Squad aiming their weapons.

_You. Have. Got. To. Be. Kidding._

* * *

ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER! Basically, I just like doing this with the action sequences, it's a nice link to the next chapter… plus it keeps the readers eager, right? Well, please review and tell me what you thought of Drake's struggle.

Next Chapter: All bets are off! Drake squares off with the Monster Squad… but he's barely able to stand! Does he stand a chance…?


	29. Monster Squad Ambush

Know something? I've got to say, I really do seem to be able to bounce back from things. That personal thing is now pretty much behind me. It was just a problem I had, and eventually I just decided "to hell with this" and snapped out of it at last.

And thus, we return to our story, where we pick back up with Drake… well… he's screwed, basically.

Yautja, Predator and all related characters and trademarks are © 20th Century Fox.

* * *

MONSTER SQUAD AMBUSH

"Fire!"

The Monster Squad soldiers lifted their weapons and immediately fired. Drake leapt up, but the pain in his back and sides cut into him like an axe-blade, causing him to immediately fall to his knees as the soldiers surrounded him.

One of them fired his weapon, hitting Drake Square in the chest and sent him flying into and through another pile of wreckage, knocking the wind out of him.

_Come on…_ He thought to himself as he painfully pulled himself up, _Just need two seconds to use the damn Medicomp…_

Two of the soldiers fired their plasma weapons. Drake dodged one of the lethal beams, but the other caught him in the arm, cutting deep into the chest as he roared with pain and collapsed to his knees.

The last one approached and pulled out a syringe.

Instantly knowing what was coming, Drake leapt back, even as the soldier kicked him in the face and sent him flying through the air.

"Not this time, assholes…" He snarled through gritted teeth.

As one of them leapt forward to kick him, Drake whipped out the Glaive and swung it up at him, only to be shot in the side by a bullet from another one of them.

He collapsed to his knees, and the soldier prepared the syringe again…

Drake rolled to the side and kicked the soldier in the face, as the Plasmacaster whirled to life…

…Nothing.

_Great!_ Drake yelled in his mind, _Must have been damaged when the building caved in…_

Acting on instinct, he leapt up onto the remaining half of a nearby factory, barely dodging another blast before collapsing on all fours as a shockwave of agony surged through him.

_I can't fight them,_ he realised, _not with these injuries…_

Two of the soldiers leapt up after him, preparing their weapons as, in one of the huge guns, a missile prepared to fire…

Drake rolled forward, barely dodging the missile, but the shockwave still hurled him across the ground. The soldiers approached from different directions, one taking out the syringe…

Drake suddenly leapt up, taking out the two daggers from the Medicomp, preparing to jab them into himself…

One of the soldiers suddenly grabbed his wrist, forcing him to drop the daggers as the soldier kicked his legs out from under him. He grunted in pain as he hit the damaged roof. He felt strong hands pick him up and suddenly throw him down from the roof.

Unable to even move through the pain of his wounds, Drake could only cry out in pain, as he slammed into the ground, hard enough to crack the ground beneath him.

_Oh Jesus… can't see straight…_ Barely able to stand, he pushed himself up with one hand as the other hung down by his side.

_Arm's broken… I can barely stand up…_

One of the soldiers prepared to fire again, but Drake suddenly leapt forward and kicked him in the face, before leaping down and punching another one. The third, however, grabbed his broken arm, causing a wave of pain to surge through him.

The soldier took out the Syringe and, finally, jabbed it into Drake's bleeding wound.

Drake staggered forward, already barely able to stand. He faltered, almost losing his balance, and collapsed to one knee. His muscles felt like lead weights as he put out one arm to stop himself from hitting the ground face-first.

Unexpectedly, he thrust the Glaive up, stabbing one of them right in the head as the cyborg parts shattered before the mighty spear.

After a brief second, the Monster Squad soldier became still and collapsed to the ground.

_Have! Some! Of! That!_

One of the others suddenly kicked him in the side of the head. Drake collapsed on his side, unable to move under the weight of his own muscles as the dull pain split through his skull, and the darkness began to fill his vision.

Finally, everything went black…

"They got it, Sir." The scientist reported.

"Good. The transport is on its way. What about the Monster Squad?"

"One of them was killed."

"Oh, well. There's more where that came from. Is it still alive?"

"No, I told you… it got a spear through the head."

"I mean the creature!"

"Oh. It's alive, but its badly wounded. I think it dropped some kind of medical device."

"Good. Bring it to the transport."

* * *

Dum Dum Dummm…

Drake is captured by the Monster Squad! What now…? Will he escape? Will he defeat the Monster Squad? Will I ever stop with the cliffhangers? It doesn't look likely…


	30. Breaking Out

Good news for those lamenting the constant cliffhangers: I'm finally toning it down. As in, there'll be no cliffhanger tonight. I'm kind of in a "war of the cliffies" against **Stormraven 333**, but now I'm calling off my current offensive. Plus, I just love cliffhangers… I think they're great dramatic devices.

Well, anyway, it's now time for Drake to get some sweet, sweet payback on the Monster Squad.

Well, I made it: 30 chapters! And there's still more where this came from… I am now fully expecting to hit 100 reviews by the end of this story, which is officially the longest, and most successful, fan fiction I've ever written.

And I figured it was best to prepare you for the shock: There are things going to happen in this story that you will not believe. And before long, a very big, very terrible crisis is going to hit Drake's life…

Yautja, Predator and all related characters and trademarks are © 20th Century Fox.

* * *

BREAKING OUT

The black van roamed silently through the streets of the city until, finally, it came to a stop in an alley.

At the other end of the alley sat a luxurious Rolls Royce. After a few seconds, the old man stepped out, clad in a £300,000-dollar tuxedo. He brushed off the sleeve as he walked up to the black van, waiting quietly as the doors parted.

The scientist stepped down to greet him.

"Good evening, Sir."

The old man simply nodded.

"I trust you have the creature in captivity?"

"Yes, Sir. Right this way."

They both stepped into the van. Therein was a variety of scientific equipment, with the remaining two Monster Squad soldiers standing to the sides. The third, now with a gaping hole in its head, was lying on a table.

And on the table next to it, was Drake.

"So this is the freak that's caused my organization so much trouble."

Drake's chest moved slowly up and down.

"It's still sedated, sir, but it should come round fairly soon; we didn't give it as large a dose this time."

The old man looked at another table. On there were the Glaive, Plasmacaster, Speargun, Smart Disc and Medicomp.

"Amazing weaponry… Prometheus technology pales in comparison to this… is it all intact?"

"Everything but the shoulder-cannon."

"Good. Now, about this creature…"

He turned back to Drake.

"Remove its mask."

The scientist stepped forward and detached the tube on the side of the mask. Slowly, he pulled it away, and what the old man saw truly amazed him.

"What the… it's human!"

The scientist stepped forward, looking down at Drake's face.

"Unbelievable," The scientist gasped, "He can't be over 16… how could he do all the damage he has?"

"Are you sure you have the right creature?"

"No-one human could have taken down that Monster Squad soldier."

A low, irritated sound suddenly escaped Drake's throat as his eyes drifted open.

"Where…" he said at last, "Where am I?"

"Ah, you're awake." The old man smirked. "Allow me to introduce myself: My name is Professor Morio Yutani."

"Yutani…" Drake repeated in a confused voice, "So you're the ones who's been sending these assholes to try and break my face."

"When you put it that way," Yutani answered coldly.

"Where am I?"

"Just inside a little transport."

"A transport to where?"

"Just one of our facilities. For… experimentation."

"Experimentation?"

"My, aren't you an inquisitive little Yautja… then again, you're not exactly a typical Yautja, now, are you?"

"You know about the Yautja?"

"Oh, my yes."

"Experimentation, huh? Are we talking observation, or dissection?"

"I don't see how you're in a position to interrogate anyone; I'm not the one tied to a table."

"Well as it happens, I know about your little company. You're the ones who keep screwing with the Xenomorphs. The ones who took them to Earth."

"Well, you have done your homework, haven't you?"

"I wonder how many people working for you… how many people out there… know what you've been up to."

"Well, everyone has their secret. The Weyland-Yutani corporation actually owns quite a number of… shall we say… more reputable organisations. How do you think they'd react if they knew whom they were working for? But as long as they do what we need of them, who cares?"

"So you just see them as little, oblivious slaves."

"Well, therein lies a little philosophical debate: Is a slave a slave, if he doesn't know he's enslaved?"

"Yes." Drake spat angrily.

"What," Yutani smirked, "Is that all I'm going to get out of you?" He scoffed. "You're no fun, are you, Kid?"

"Let me out of here," Drake snarled, "I'll show you how much fun I can be."

"You think it's wise to threaten me?"

"Actually," Drake said, as a wide grin spread across his face, "Toward the beginning of our little chat, it dawned on me that, when your goons disarmed me, they forgot the wristblades. And I was just keeping you talking so I could cut these restraints!"

Drake's hand whipped up, and Yutani barely ducked in time as Drake leapt up.

"Catch it!" Yutani yelled as Drake landed on the table with his equipment.

Drake kicked the Medicomp up into his hand and jabbed the daggers into himself, screaming in pain as, in an instant, his wounds healed.

"Who wants some?" He snarled as he extended the wristblades.

The two Monster Squad soldiers picked up their weapons, but by that point, Drake had leapt forward in front of one of them and thrust his Glaive up, straight through his weapon. The soldier dropped the gun and kicked Drake in the head, but Drake nimbly landed on his feet.

_Enclosed space,_ he thought. _And I'm exhausted. Bad combination._

The other soldier fired his weapon, but Drake leapt up, dodging the searing blast. Drake then leapt forward and kicked the soldier in the chest, sending them both flying out of the back of the van and into the alleyway, whereupon Drake immediately leapt up onto the side of a fire escape.

_That's more like it!_

The soldier fired his weapon again, but Drake leapt down onto the van behind him and fired the Speargun, catching him in the back of the head.

Suddenly, something behind him kicked him in the back, sending him flying off the van and onto the ground.

The last Monster Squad soldier jumped down, picking up the other's weapon.

"Bring it, ass wipe!"

Drake hurled the Smart Disc through the air. The soldier leaned back as the disc flew across him and rose up, aiming the gun as Drake leapt up. As the soldier aimed, the disc flew back…

…Only for the soldier to duck again as the disc flew back into Drake's hand. The soldier stood up again…

…When Drake shot him right in the face with the Speargun. After a second, the solder collapsed to the ground.

Drake walked slowly over to his fallen opponent.

_Now that's some mighty fine payback,_ He thought to himself.

After a second, however, he started to hear a rapid beeping.

_C'jit!_

He leapt back as both soldiers suddenly exploded in balls of fire. As the smoke cleared, he could just about make out the van driving away.

_Just as well,_ He thought. _I'm way too tired to go after them tonight._

After a second, he jumped up and climbed up the fire escape, to the ceiling.

Man, what a night…

* * *

To quote Drake: That is, in my opinion, some mighty fine payback.

There- you see? No cliffhanger. As promised. Hopefully you enjoyed this like the last three chapters.

I might update tomorrow, but during the week I've got work experience. Oh well… beats school.


	31. First Date

One. Review. I am One Review away from 100. Thusly: New Chapter! (Tense pause) and, also, a pause to the cliffies at last… man, I've done so many cliffhangers it must be illegal.

(Hears siren)

(Gasps) It's the Cliffie Police!

(Runs desperately and narrowly avoids the cliffie police.)

Don't laugh too hard, **Stormraven 333- **they'll be coming for you next…

Yautja, Predator and all related character and trademarks are © 20th Century Fox.

* * *

FIRST DATE

Drake was a wreck when he got up the following morning… bruises, cuts and a few new scars for his collection. At least he'd gotten some payback on the Monster Squad.

It was just a shame that a whole neighbourhood had seen the explosion those gang members caused… and that he had a splitting headache.

Thus were his thoughts as he walked into school, late as usual, bolted up the stairs and just made it into his most hated subject: Math.

"Late again?" Mrs. French sighed mockingly. "Oh, well, I expect we're all used to it by now. Go and sit down, and try to actually _learn_ something."

Drake rolled his eyes irritably and sat down next to Adam.

"Got in another fight?" Adam asked when he saw Drake's black eye. That was what happened when a cyborg soldier kicked you in the face.

Drake simply nodded.

"Yep."

"How many of those things do you get into, anyway?"

"Enough."

Adam gave up, shrugged, and started jotting down notes.

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The first few lessons passed quickly enough… Lunch seemed to come faster than ever, and just about everyone was quick to be outside, with summer not far off.

Drake was walking with Adam and Max, discussing their mutual disdain for their Geography teacher.

"What a prick," Adam sighed. "Look at all this god-damn homework… it'll take me hours to get through this crap."

"Well, he gave us a week to do it," Max answered.

"And knowing you, you'll just blow it off until about 20 seconds before we have to hand it in, rush it, do a crappy job, get a crappy mark and get yammered at until you ears fall off."

"Hey, you don't know I'd do that!"

"Yes I do. Because you _always_ do that."

"He's right," Drake chimed in, before drinking the last of his soda and throwing the can into the trash.

"Yeah, but I won't do it this time."

"You will."

"He's right."

They reached the school field, when Drake heard an ever-more-familiar voice.

"Drake!"

No longer dreading moments like this, Drake turned round as Rebecca suddenly flung her arms round him and pressed her lips against his.

"Uh… we'll leave you two alone," Adam said quickly as he and Max started heading away.

Drake wrapped his arms around Rebecca and kissed back, until Rebecca finally broke the kiss. As Drake saw her face, he realised there were tears in her eyes.

"Oh, thank God…" She gasped before suddenly kissing him again, just as passionately. "I though… Oh God, I thought you were dead…"

"Dead?" Drake said, confusedly, before she kissed him again. "Why did you think I was…? Oh, Right. The building collapsed."

"So… you weren't in the…"

"Actually, I was."

He pulled up his sleeve to show her a deep cut that ran down his arm and was forming into a clear scar.

"Oh my God…" Rebecca gasped, running her fingers along the car. "Does it hurt?"

"Not anymore," Drake shrugged. "Sure did when I got it…"

"So what were you doing in there?"

"Gangsters. More of those robot suits."

"More of them?"

"Long story."

Rebecca sighed and hugged him again.

"Assholes," She half-laughed, "Think they can bring down a building on my boyfriend's head…"

She kissed him softly on the forehead before looking him in the eyes with a living look.

"Speaking of which… now that we're… y'know… you want to go out tonight?"

"Sure," Drake smiled. "Movie?"

"Why not?"

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At around 8pm, Drake and Rebecca exited the movie theatre, laughing together (they'd been watching a comedy) and walking arm-in-arm.

"God, that was funny…" Rebecca laughed. "I thought I was going to suffocate…"

"Well, I'd be more than happy to give you mouth-to-mouth," Drake joked as Rebecca swung her arms round his neck and they both came together in a soft kiss.

Across the street, an inconspicuous-looking figure moved through the street before speaking into a cell phone, after taking a picture of the couple.

"It's him, alright. What do we do about the girl?"

"We'll deal with him soon enough. As for the girl… she may have her uses."

* * *

Hey, at least it's not a cliffie! That chapter was kind of short, I know. But I wanted to calm down after three chapters of balls-to-the-walls action.

Next Chapter: A long-delayed reader request from **xDarkmasterx**… Drake takes on the Dead Men!


	32. Dead Man Walking

Yo wassup! Whoa… 100 reviews at last! I'd like to thank all of you for reviewing and showing your support, and I hope this story continues to fulfil your expectations.

And now… ladies and gentlemen… due to (slightly) popular demand… Drake takes on the Dead Men!

If you have any suggestions about someone for Drake to have a punch-up with, send them in a review or PM and I'll be happy to consider it.

Yautja, Predator and all related characters and trademarks are © 20th Century Fox.

* * *

DEAD MAN WALKING

"Need… more… special guns…"

"You got the money?"

The Dead Man handed over the money, in return being handed two large, bizarre weapons, which he handed to his teammate.

That was the last of it, Drake knew as he watched from the rooftop. The only Prometheus Tech remaining.

And fortunately, this time he knew what he was going up against.

The Dead Men were impervious to pain, thanks to the drugs they took. They felt nothing, physically or emotionally. And when nothing hurt them, that made them tough opponents.

That was the one thing Drake hated more than stupid muscle: Stupid, _drugged_ muscle.

The two dead men walked under the elevated train track, handing the rifles to two of another five men. Two others were already armed with Prometheus weapons.

"… Special… guns…"

Drake allowed himself an instant to bask in the cooling breeze… the nights were getting hotter, as summer quickly approached.

In an instant, he moved along the metal girders as the Dead Men conversed… though it didn't consist of full sentences.

Now was as good a time as any.

One of the Dead Men looked up as a shimmering mass leapt down. Unconcerned, two of them whipped out handguns and fired, ineffectively, as the shape landed amongst them, the impact shorting out its stealth in a shower of sparks.

Drake whipped the Glaive around, tripping four of them up, before kicking another in the face and sending him flying back. Unfortunately, he simply stood back up.

_Oh yeah,_ He thought to himself, _Those drugs are strength-enhancing as well. You'd think I'd remember something like that…_

One of the Dead Men raised his weapon and a glowing, blue projectile shot out. Drake leapt into the air and landed behind him, slashing through his back, but the gang member felt no pain. Two more ran up beside him, only to be punched in the face. Still, they kept coming…

_Damn it! It's like fighting Goddamn zombies!_

Another of them fired his weapon from a short distance, a missile hurtling through the air. Drake jumped to the side even as he swung the Glaive, gashing one of the Dead Men in the chest, but to little effect.

_OK… if nothing hurts these guys, I'll just have to make it nice and quick…_

He rolled forward across the ground, bringing up the Wristblade, only for his arm to be caught by one of the Dead Men. The gangster may have been strong… but Drake was stronger. He forced the blades forward, cutting through the Dead Man's throat, as he felt the blade slice cleanly through skin, flesh and bone, moments before the dead body slumped to the floor.

Two others suddenly grabbed his arms, as another seized him from behind. A fourth raised his weapon and fired, a bolt of green energy flying out. Drake flipped up, however, taking the Dead Men with him and kicking one of them forward, into the path of the lethal blast. The beam struck his chest, burning straight through, before the lifeless body collapsed.

Drake whipped out his Glaive and swung it round in a circle. As he leapt up, the blade caught the heads of two Dead Men, slicing through the necks as their heads flew clean off and blood sprayed in wide arcs through the air.

A blue projectile suddenly shot through the air. Drake saw it coming but, with no time to dodge, brought his arms up in a cross to defend himself. The force of the impact hurled him backwards, slamming him into a wall. He looked down, wincing in pain as the scar on his arm split open. He roared in pain as one of the other Dead Men prepared to fire.

In an instant, however, he leapt over him and stabbed him in the head. As another one prepared to fire, he shot out the Smart Disc. The bladed disc spun through the air and sliced through its target's neck before he slumped to the ground.

And then there was one.

He raised the weapon, preparing to fire, but the Plasmacaster on Drake's shoulder suddenly whirled to life, shooting forth a burst of white-hot plasma which exploded in a shower of sparks against its target's face, completely decapitating him.

Drake stood there for a second, before suddenly collapsing to his knees. Half his body was on fire…

_C'jit… there's no way the Dead Men did that much damage… half my bones feel like they're broken…_

Through a wave of agony, he leapt up onto the roof of a warehouse…

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"This is confusing," Scarface commented. "The Medicomp patched you up, but… broken bones… inner bleeding… C'jit, you look like you've been in a war zone…"

"But those Dead Men barely even hit me."

"I don't think it was them."

"Then what was it?"

"Well, all these injuries… you've had them before."

"What?"

Scarface thought for a second.

"The Medicomp can heal any wound… but serious injuries take longer to heal than, say, a cut or a bruise. The problem is, you go out hunting almost every night… and since you're not fully Yautja, the Medicomp doesn't have as strong an effect on you."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, it takes longer to heal your injuries than it would for a Yautja, because this technology is more suited to Yautja DNA."

"But why's this such a big problem?"

"Because when you get serious injuries like this, and you go out hunting every night, you're not giving the injuries time to fully heal. These aren't new injuries… they're old ones that you never allowed to heal, and that you've re-opened and made worse."

"So what can I do?"

Scarface sighed.

"You'll just have to wait for a few days… and that means no hunting."

"What?"

"I'm serious, Drake. You may have the strengths of a Yautja, but your body is still human. It just needs time to rest." He looked away.

"Your life could well depend on it."

* * *

Well, how was that? Hope you enjoyed the fight… and now, here's another problem for Drake!

Please review.


	33. The Snare

God, I have had a crappy day… seriously crappy. Hell, "Crappy" doesn't begin to describe it. Anyway, here's another chapter so I can try and forget my crappy day. Nice bit of drama, and another big step for this story…

Yautja, Predator and all related characters and trademarks are © 20th Century Fox.

* * *

THE SNARE

"So," Rebecca asked as Drake leaned against the tree, "How long until you can go out at night again?"

"At least a week," Drake answered.

Usually, Drake would clear his head at night, by going out hunting… just cutting some crooks to pieces. But now that his favoured pursuit was no longer an option, he found that sitting under a tree in the park in the afternoon was just as good.

Rebecca leaned over and kissed Drake again as the sun began setting over the city.

After they came apart, Rebecca leaned back against Drake's chest as they both relaxed in the cooling breeze.

"So what's it like living in a space ship?" She asked.

Drake simply shrugged. "Don't really know how to compare it to anything else…"

"Can I see it?" Rebecca asked eagerly.

Drake was silent for a second. "I'd have to ask, I think… I don't think my Dad would be too happy about it…"

Rebecca made a cute, pouting face, wringing a small laugh out of Drake.

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Yutani looked up from the papers as one of the scientists, garbed in a white coat, entered his office.

"Well?" He asked as he leaned back in his chair.

The scientist stammered for a moment. "We have approximately 13 Monster Squad soldiers remaining, sir."

"I see…" Yutani said grimly. "In that case, we're going to need more. Contact Keyes. Tell him we're going to need more… 'Volunteers'…"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Several blocks away, a man in his late 40's picked up a cell phone.

"Keyes… yes, sir. Right. Approximately how many will you require? …I see. I'll get straight to work, sir."

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A group of homeless people were assembled in the old junkyard, huddled around a fire and quickly eating scraps of food.

To their surprise, a fair large, white truck started backing up, and a man in his late 40's stepped out.

"Gentlemen," He announced with a smile, "Christmas has come early! All-you-can-eat, free of charge, from the Borgia Association…"

The back of the truck opened, revealing the sights and smells of freshly cooked meats and vegetables.

"Take all you like," The man continued, "Get it while it's got!"

"Don't go in," One of the homeless men whispered to another. "I've heard about this, man. People have been disappearing from the streets… it's been happening for months!"

The man he was talking to looked up briefly as the others stepped into the truck.

"Sorry, man…" He answered. "Haven't eaten in so long…"

Before the man could do anything, all the others had stepped into the truck, even as he slipped away.

Hidden behind a small pile of parts, he could only watch in horror as the doors were suddenly slammed shut and the sounds of terrified screams were heard.

Keyes smirked as he heard the bodies slump to the floor.

After a few seconds, he opened the doors again and stepped in himself.

Four Monster Squad soldiers stood inside the truck, with the homeless men lying unconscious on the floor.

He picked up the phone and dialled.

"Mr. Yutani? It's Keyes. We've got about 15 new recruits for you, sir…"

* * *

And that, my friends, is the source of the Monster Squad! I know the chapter was short, but hopefully it was OK. Thing is: Can Drake put a stop to this?

BTW- a solid gold INVISIBLE PRIZE THAT DOESN'T EXIST for whomever can tell me where the name "Borgia" comes from, and also, SUPER-DOOPER-BONUS POINTS for ANYONE who can tell me where the name "Keyes" is from.

All reviews welcome!


	34. Burglary

My apologies for the late update. Thing is I've got a lot of stories on the go right now and I'm a pretty disorganised person. So, anyway, here's a new chapter for you.

And about my little challenge: Congratulations to **teensamurai102, ultimatemukata,** and** The Ultimate Hunter **for getting both answers. **Psychoman222 **got the first part of it (Borgia) and **Raptor-Chick** succeeded in guessing the second (Keyes). Did I miss anyone there? Because I wrote this at about 9:45 PM before going out for a meal. I'm exhausted, but I've been writing all day and I'm not making my readers make any longer. Man, sometimes I hate having such a great audience…

And I know the chapters have gotten a little short. I will rectify that soon.

Me no own Predator. 20th Century Fox own Predator. Me sad now.

* * *

BURGLARY

"No."

"…What?"

"No she cannot see the inside of the ship! Don't be stupid!"

"Oh, come on, what's the worst that can happen?"

"Elders? Arbitrators? Council of Ancients? She's not coming inside the ship, Drake. And that's final."

"But…"

"No buts! Now get to School."

"What about…"

"Just go!"

Drake shrugged and left the ship, leaving the sewers and starting on his way to School. He didn't really expect that he'd be allowed to bring Rebecca to the ship, but he figured it couldn't hurt to ask.

He continued to walk on, before turning a corner to meet up with Rachel.

"Hey," She greeted him with a smile and a kiss. "Did you ask him?"

"Yep."

"And what did he say?"

"No."

"No?"

"No."

Rebecca made a cute pouting face as they walked together.

"Any reason why? Or is it some alien-hunter reason that I wouldn't understand?" She smiled.

"Well," Drake explained, "The Elders…"

"Who?"

"Clan leaders. They weren't happy just when you found out who I was. Imagine their reaction if I took you into the middle of a spaceship."

"Oh," Rebecca realised. "So, how much longer until you can go back out?"

"Another four days," Drake answered. "Look, how come it doesn't… I don't know… unnerve you when you ask me about… well… the things I do?"

Rebecca shrugged. "Like you said, you just hunt the ones who deserve it."

"Most humans probably wouldn't see it like that."

"Well… I know people like that deserve it."

"Why's that?"

Rebecca sighed, suddenly taking a more serious tone.

"Drake…" She sighed, "I've never told anyone this… but… well…" She breathed inward hesitantly. "…I'm the reason my parents fight all the time."

"What?"

"See… my Dad… he isn't my biological father."

"Hmm?"

"My Mother… she was…" a tear suddenly slipped down Rebecca's face, and Drake realised he'd never actually seen her cry before. "Well… she was raped."

"What?"

Rebecca nodded. "That was how I was born… of course, 'Dad' wanted her to get an abortion but… he didn't. Now, whenever I mess up, he blames my Mother, or whenever anything happens, and they just always fight…"

Drake put a comforting arm around her as they walked.

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After School, Drake and Rebecca were walking together again, toward Rebecca's home, just talking, when they turned the corner toward Rebecca's house.

"You want to start that assignment?" Rebecca shrugged, "My parents are out and… What the…" Rebecca gasped, seeing three men suddenly slip out of the house, carrying several bags laden with goods.

"Hey!" She shouted as they both broke into a run, toward the thieves. "Get the hell out of my house!"

"Oh, well go," One of the thugs laughed, "And we'll take a little spending money with us!" He looked down to see the anger in Rebecca's face. "What… you going to stop us? Or your boyfriend?"

He stepped toward Drake, shoving Rebecca to the side as another grabbed her, causing her to scream as he pulled her hair.

Big mistake.

As the thug went to shove him, Drake grabbed his wrist and elbowed him in the face, kicked him, flipped over and struck the other two in the sides, kicking them off Rebecca as he landed gracefully on his feet and kicked the first one down for the count. Finally, he struck both of the other two in the face. All three dropped the stolen goods and staggered back.

"Jesus… kill the bastard!"

One of them whipped out a knife, but Drake effortlessly kicked him in the wrist and punched him in the gut.

"Run for it!"

All three of them turned and fled into an alley, as Drake helped Rebecca up.

"Thanks," She breathed. "Don't think I'll ever get used to seeing that."

"No problem," Drake smiled. "But I don't think that did me any good." He winced as he flexed his shoulder. "Come on, let's get this stuff back inside."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yutani watched the recording intensely, as Drake neutralised all three of the thieves with virtually no effort at all.

"Amazing…" He grinned to himself before turning round, as Keyes entered the room.

"Sir," he reported, "Conversion is complete."

"Excellent. Soon, we can make our move…"

"If I may, sir… what significance will the girl prove?"

"Oh, you'll see, Keyes. You'll see…"

* * *

I know that was also kind of a short chapter. This one is basically to develop Rebecca's character a little more, so I hope you liked it.

Lastamly: That Crisis that I said was going to face Drake? The worst one yet? Well, it's coming. Soon. And, I want to make it clear: It is NOT a kidnapping plot. Believe me, you won't want to miss it.


	35. A New Kind of Challenge

Sweet! I've reached 130 reviews! Know that? I'm setting my sites on the next milestone: I'm crossing my fingers and hoping to get up to 150 reviews!

Sorry for the late update. You should know, by the way, that the end is in sight, but it won't be here just yet.

What's planned for Drake? Well, me and **XDarkmasterX **are planning a joint story in which his Yautja OC, Ebony, will be going fist-to-fist with Drake.

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed this story so far!

Yautja, Predator and all related characters and trademarks are (C) 20th Century Fox.

* * *

A NEW KIND OF CHALLENGE

"Well?" Drake asked as he sat down in the Medical Room of the ship.

Scarface looked down at the screen, which was emitting a full 3-D hologram of Drake's skeleton and organs. After a second, he looked back up.

"Great," He smiled. "Of course, it took a little longer to heal thanks to your little stunt outside Rebecca's home yesterday… but you seem to have fully healed."

"Yes!" Drake smiled, "Finally!"

"Just take it a little easier this time, OK?" Scarface instructed him. "Otherwise you'll probably have to go through this again sooner or later."

Drake nodded and stood back up.

"Well," He sighed, "I'd best get to School. I've got Math first, and if I'm late one more…"

"I'll see you this afternoon. You've got a few weeks' worth of training to catch up on."

Drake nodded, turned and ran out of the ship, sliding open the sewer hatch and jumped out, walking a few blocks before meeting up with Rebecca.

"Hey," he greeted her as they walked together, "You OK?"

Rebecca nodded, but she was visibly tired… she had black circles under her bloodshot eyes.

"You sure?" He asked again.

"My parents were fighting again…" Rebecca answered "I think that what happened yesterday… they just saw it as an excuse to fight again."

Drake put a comforting arm round her as they walked.

"I told them," She confessed after about a minute. "I mean… about you."

"What?"

"Not everything. I left out the whole… Yut… Yuuaa…"

"Ya-Ut-Ja."

"Yeah. I left that whole thing out. And the whole hunting thing."

"Thanks."

"But… my Dad… he isn't happy about it. Honest to God, he hates me…"

"Oh, come on…"

"Seriously. He does." She looked away for a moment.

"Rebecca…" Drake said somewhat sternly, "There's something you're not telling me."

"It's nothing," She insisted.

Drake sighed and shook his head as they walked into School.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Drake turned the corner to the Math room, to suddenly see Danny and his gang, huddled in a corner, kicking into something. Drake tried to ignore it, but suddenly stopped as he heard a groan of pain.

He quickly moved over, and saw that it was actually a student, on the ground, being shoved into a corner as Danny laughed… until Drake suddenly grabbed his arm.

"New victim?" Drake asked through gritted teeth. Danny swung out yet again, but Drake just leaned his head back.

"You don't learn, do you?" He sighed before striking Danny in the gut and kicking him into two others.

"Now get out of here."

Danny and his five goons instantly turned and fled.

"You OK?" He asked the student.

The student was about a year younger than Drake, with short blonde hair.

"No!" The boy suddenly snapped, "Because you just made things worse, and they're gonna get me even worse later…"

He turned and immediately ran off down the corridor, leaving Drake standing there frustrated.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The following day, Drake sat in his first lesson, namely History, deep in thought (which was, let's face it, more interesting than most of what he was learning).

_Why doesn't anything ever work out?_ Drake asked himself as he sat in class. _For once, things were going alright… but now there's a corrupt company wanting to bust my skull, something's wrong with Rebecca… and now Danny's picking on other people, and what can I do about it?_

_Then again,_ He contemplated, _this isn't a hunt, this is School! No one asked me to help that guy… but I couldn't just stand there… why does everything in my life always have to go ass-end up?_

"'Sup?" Adam asked from next to him. Drake turned round to see him sitting there.

"Not much," He lied. "You?"

"Same," Adam smiled as he finished jotting something down. "How's Rebecca?"

"She's…uh… she's fine."

"Cool. Man, how'd you do it?"

"How'd I do what?"

"Dude, that girl's a total babe! You gotta have some secret!"

"Well… there is _some_ secret…" If anything, that was mostly a half-lie.

Across the room, sat Danny, flicking paper balls at an exasperated student. Drake watched angrily and clenched a fist.

"Leave it," Adam advised him. "You get into enough trouble as it is. Danny picks on anyone he can find that's smaller than him. It's just a fact, man."

Drake sighed in frustration.

"Where's Jimmy?" Adam asked.

"Who?"

"The guy Danny and his goons beat up yesterday…"

Drake looked up across the room, to the door.

"…Drake?"

Drake's eyes, however, had fixed on something across the room.

"Jesus…"

"Dude, what is it?"

After a second of realisation, Drake opened his mouth and shouted:

"It's a gun!"

The entire class ducked as a swath of bullets suddenly cut through the door, terrified screams mixing with the sound of gunfire…

* * *

Dum Dum Duuummmm! An attack on Drake's school… this'll be a new kind of challenge for him!

Be warned: The next chapter is going to have a very dark aspect to it. Hopefully you'll like it. This is just an idea I came up with for a chapter or two.

No, it isn't Weyland-Yutani. I've got something much bigger in store for that!

All reviews welcome!


	36. Snapped

Jesus Christ… 10,000 hits already! Man, this story's doing well… and still plenty left!

Also, I've decided on a little challenge: Can anyone try and guess what Weyland-Yutani is planning?

Sorry if this chapter's not quite up to scratch- I caught the sun a bit much yesterday, but I'm uploading this chapter to celebrate hitting 10,000 hits!

Predator and all related characters and trademarks are © 20th Century Fox.

* * *

SNAPPED

"What the hell is that?" Adam yelled as everyone ducked under the tables. After a few seconds, the hail of bullets finally stopped as Drake glanced up.

"Assault rifle," Drake answered as he looked round the room. "Jesus Christ…"

"I don't hear him…" The teacher gasped, "Maybe he's gone…"

Drake closed his eyes, listening out into the room… accelerated heartbeats… sharp breaths… the smell of adrenaline… footsteps… a gun being loaded…

"He's still there."

"What?"

"Trust me. He is."

The sound of another hail of gunfire suddenly erupted down the corridor.

"No screams," Drake commented quietly. "He's not hitting anyone, just… just firing randomly."

"Shut up!" Danny suddenly yelled from across the room, "You don't know shit!"

"I know more than you, fatass," Drake snapped, before another hail of bullets sliced through the window, finally stopping a few seconds later.

"He's reloading," Drake thought out loud. "And he must be running out of bullets by now…"

"Don't," Rebecca mouthed to him from under her desk. "Don't even think about it…"

_They're all terrified…_ Drake realised. _They think they're going to die… No. I'm not going to let them go to school and think they're going to die…_

In a split second, Drake suddenly leapt up, ran toward the door and kicked it down, bursting through and hitting the hooded figure, hurling him down the corridor as the gun went off, firing randomly at the ceiling.

The figure stood up shakily. By the looks of things, it was no-one overly impressive… his movements were shaky, and standing up looked like a struggle… Drake's little manoeuvre had taken it out of him. But he seemed so…

Afraid…

The figure, panicking, lifted the gun. Without thinking, Drake darted forward, flipping back and kicking the gun out of his hand, before finally punching him in the face.

The figure fell back, hitting the floor hard with a dull thud.

Drake knelt down and grabbed him by the collar, hoisting him up as fire raged in his eyes.

"Get up!" He yelled angrily through gritted teeth as he slammed the figure into the wall. "What the hell is wrong with you? What in God's name do you think you're doing…"

Drake suddenly stopped when he saw the face under the mask, with familiar pale, blotchy skin and scraggly blonde hair, and those thick-rimmed glasses.

"…Jimmy?"

"It's not fair…" Jimmy suddenly sobbed, "They just keep beating me up… I just can't take it any more… I just can't…"

Shocked, Drake dropped Jimmy to the floor and staggered back as Jimmy collapsed and sobbed.

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Drake watched without a word, as Jimmy was loaded into the police car. He listened to a few people's whispered conversations about what had happened… apparently Jimmy's father was in the Police force, that was how he got the gun.

"You OK?" Rebecca asked from beside him.

Drake shook his head. "This never should have happened."

"It's not because of you," Rebecca answered. "Hell, you had nothing to do with it happening… just Danny."

"And nothing happened to him," Drake spat. "He's the damn reason this happened."

"I guess the guy just snapped," Rebecca sighed. "Just… couldn't take it, I guess. Just a good thing you were there…"

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The police car suddenly came to a stop, next to an alley, as Jimmy looked out the window.

"Relax, son," The driver suddenly said to him. In an instant, he suddenly struck the other officer, knocking him unconscious.

He stepped out of the car and opened the door. As Jimmy cautiously stepped out, he saw that the officer was a man in his 40's, with a few grey hairs and grizzled featured.

"Don't worry," He reassured him. "We've helped quite a few people in your situation… my name is Mr. Keyes. Just follow me."

He started walking Jimmy towards a large, white truck…

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"It's just…" Drake sighed. "My whole life, I never lived among humans. Half the time I was on other planets… fighting monsters and beasts and… God, I saw some unbelievable things all those years ago… but when I see things like this… it just makes me want to go back out there."

"Then why don't you?"

"I have my reasons to stay," Drake smiled at her.

"So… now what? I mean… the whole class saw what you managed to do…"

"You're right," Drake realised. "Shit, now what…"

"Hey, 's it true?" A kid with ginger hair asked from behind him. "You beat Jimmy when he had that gun?"

"Yeah!" Adam interrupted, "In nothing flat!"

"Look…" Drake started, before about 200 students suddenly started cheering.

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"Another soldier," Yutani mused. "Good."

"What about him, sir?" The researcher asked.

"The Hybrid? Well, by the looks of things, he certainly seems to be on top form…"

"So is it time, sir?"

"Yes." Yutani answered decisively. "The time has finally come to accelerate our plans."

"But, sir, the Monster Squad… and what use could we have for the girl?"

"You'll see," Yutani answered.

"But I saw in the file…"

"The file?"

"Yes, sir. The source of the Monster Squad soldiers…"

"I see… Keyes?"

A tranquilliser dart suddenly flew through the air and struck the researcher in the back of the head. He was unconscious before he even hit the ground.

"Take him for conversion," Yutani ordered. Finally, he leaned back in his chair and looked out the window at the evening sky.

"Let it begin…"

* * *

It may interest you to know what this chapter, namely Jimmy, was inspired by real-life events that happened to my friend. No, he didn't take a gun into school, but eventually he did have to move Schools. Bullying is a serious issue!

Lecture's over. How was the chapter?

Coming Soon: The final saga begins…


	37. Surprise Visit

Well, after putting this off for about 6 chapters… at last, it is time! The final arc of "Predator: Child of the Hunt" begins…

As for this chapter: Some familiar faces from this story are going to be return… but what role does Rebecca play in Yutani's plans?

Me no own Predator. Fox own Predator. Me sad now.

* * *

SURPRISE VISIT

With a single swing of the Spear, Drake cut through the stone pole, causing the bottom to fall out and the top to come crashing down, collapsing to the floor of the ship with a dull thud.

Finally done with the afternoon's training, Drake turned around, retracted the Glaive and placed it back on the rack, removing his mask. He glanced in the reflection of the case at the small mark on his cheek, his memory drifting back to the Kiande Amedha trail… it was almost shocking that three months had passed already.

The door slid open behind Drake as he turned around and Scarface entered the room.

"Drake," He greeted him, "Finished already?"

Drake nodded and walked up to him. Strange, he never usually intruded on training sessions…

"Come on," Scarface gestured, "There's someone here to see you."

Drake's face fixed with a perplexed look… who the hell could be here to see him? He did, after all, live in a Yautja spaceship hidden in the sewers…

They turned a corner into another room and Drake was amazed to see just who was standing there.

"Drake!" One of the two Yautja half-laughed as he shook his hand, "Good to see you again!"

"Dachande? Deadstreak?" Drake gasped with a grin, "Wh… when did you…"

"Just got here," Deadstreak explained. "We haven't seen you since the Kiande Amedha trail…"

"Great to see you both," Drake smiled, "Even you, Deadstreak!"

"Hey, I still owe you one," Deadstreak smiled warmly.

Surprising, how they'd wound up actually being such good friends… there were few things that two young warriors couldn't share without ending up being friends, and taking down a 20-foot Xenomorph Queen was one of them.

"So, what… rematch?" Drake joked as the other two Yautja removed their masks.

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Rebecca angrily stormed out of the door, slamming it shut behind her.

They were fighting again. Big surprise. But she figured it'd be best to get out before it got to the inevitable stage where her father started calling her Mother a "stinking slut".

She strolled down the empty street in the light rain, looking up and hoping the rain would wash away the pain… the way her father had always reminded her of the fact that she was a child of rape… "Nothing but your mother's stupid mistake".

She always tried to shrug off those words.

They still hurt.

She sighed and looked down the street, glancing around at the small handful of people that moved around.

Not far down the street, however, a certain grey-haired man in his 40's was watching, two large muscular Monster Squad soldiers hidden beneath long coats.

"There she is."

"Excellent," The voice came over the radio. "You know what to do…"

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"So what brings you two here?" Drake asked as the three young warriors sat in the living room.

"Well," Dachande answered, "Us two live on the same planet so we stayed in touch, and we've just finished up a hunt on a planet not far from here. Anyway, the Elders said it would be OK if we just paid a visit for a few days."

"They actually called a few days ago," Scarface explained as he walked past the room. "I thought I'd keep it as a surprise."

"No problem," Drake smiled, "At least you two aren't as crazy as my girlfriend…"

"Girlfriend?" Deadstreak asked as Dachande almost choked on his drink. "You mean… the girl who found out about you… she actually…"

"Long story," Drake explained. "I wonder if you two could meet her…"

"Don't get ideas," Dachande advised him. "If she saw us…"

"You'd be surprised," Drake answered. "So what have you two been up too?"

"Not much," Deadstreak confessed, "We took on a few…"

Suddenly, something rang in Drake's pocket. He quickly removed a small cell phone.

"Speak of the devil," He thought out loud as he saw Rebecca's name on the screen before answering the phone.

For a second, however, Drake was silent as he listened…

"Drake, it's Rebecca… for the love of God, I need your help. These guys… they're after me and… oh, God…"

What remained of the call was a brief sound of gunshots.

"What is it?" Dachande asked, concerned.

After a few seconds, however, Drake turned off the phone.

"I have to go."

With that, Drake ran out of the room.

* * *

CLIFFIE! That was short, I know. Oh well, please review…


	38. Rage and Revenge

I'm afraid this update is slightly late. And by slightly, I mean Very. Thisis because A)Ihad a problem with the document manager and couldn't upload, and B) On Wednesday my computerbroke.Sorry. Anyway, now, at long last: It begins… but will Drake be in time to save Rebecca?

Yautja, Predator and all related characters and trademarks are © 20th Century Fox.

* * *

RAGE AND REVENGE

Drake didn't even think as he raced across the rooftops, leaping across the gaps as he raced across the city, clad in his mask and battle armour.

He already knew who this was… but this…

No one attacked Rebecca. No one. He'd sworn that if anything threatened her, they would answer to him.

How dare they attack her… had they no honour? And worse, what manner of coward would stoop to something like this?

But he'd save her. He'd tear the world apart to save her…

Finally, he leapt down into the alley, running through to the one thing in there.

Rebecca.

She was lying on the ground, in the middle of a puddle. Her top was torn and she was gashed deep in the side, the skin looking as though it had been burned away.

She wasn't moving.

_No…_ The terrible possibility raced through his mind. _No, no… dear God, no…_

Finally reaching her, he kneeled down.

"Rebecca…"

She didn't respond. This couldn't be happening… not her…

"Drake…" She finally gasped as blood trickled out of her mouth.

"Thank God…" He finally gasped as he checked the wound on her side. "Did they…"

"Drake… I don't know if I'll…"

"You'll be OK," Drake whispered softly. "I swear…"

For all the good _that_ was worth… he'd also sworn he'd protect her… and now this had happened…

"Drake!" A voice suddenly interrupted him. Behind him, Dachande, Scarface and Deadstreak jumped down after him.

"What are you…" Drake started before Deadstreak cut him off.

"We're helping you," Deadstreak insisted. "No arguments."

"A Medicomp won't work on a human," Drake explained. "I have to get her to a hospital…"

"And how are they going to react when a fully-armoured Yautja warrior bursts in there?" Scarface interrupted. "Drake, I know this is stressful for you, but you're not going to do her any good if you lose your head."

"For God's sake," Drake answered, "She…"

"Drake, you _need_ to calm down and think about this!"

He threw a small bag of clothing to Drake.

"There's some civilian clothes. Stay here with her and call an ambulance. Take her to the hospital, we'll meet you there on the roof. OK?"

Drake briefly glanced down at Rebecca as she faded into unconsciousness.

"OK."

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Drake stood silently by the hospital bed as he looked down. In bandages, Rebecca was lying on the bed, asleep from the anaesthetic.

"There's no serious damage," The doctor had assured him, "But she's lost a lot of blood. The good news is, she'll live."

Since then, Drake had sat there watching over her… until the door flew open. A middle-aged woman with short, brown hair stormed in.

"Rebecca," She gasped before seeing Drake. "Who in God's name are…"

"Drake," He answered. "I'm her… boyfriend…"

"Well, a lot of good you were!" She snapped, "Letting this happen to her!"

That was too much. Drake would give anything to have saved her, and now she was blaming it on him?

"You think I _let_ this happen?" He suddenly snapped. "She was only even out there to get away from you two and your fighting!"

"How dare you!" A tall, middle-aged man with a weighty figure and receding hair snapped as he entered the room. "If you'd been there…"

"Don't try and blame this on me!" Drake shouted, clenching his fists.

"I! Am! Talking!" Rebecca's father snapped as he looked down at Drake. "Where the hell _were_ you, then?"

"Hey, this is _your_ fault!"

"I! Am! Talking!"

Drake's voice suddenly broke into a shout as he clenched his fists.

"And I'M! NOT! LISTENING!"

Rebecca's father suddenly stepped back, and Drake angrily stormed out of the room.

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"This doesn't make sense," Scarface commented. "Why just injure her and leave her there?"

"All I know is this," Drake answered as he put on his armour, attaching his wristblades. "They attacked her. They shot her, stabbed her, and left her for dead. Just threw her out into the alley with the trash."

His voice was oddly calm, almost as if pent up. Slowly and methodically, he attached his mask.

"And as a result," He explained, "That makes this simple. Very, very simple."

"Why's that?" Dachande asked.

A sudden fire lit up in Drake's eyes beneath his mask. His fists clenched and his muscles tensed.

As he spoke, Drake's voice slowly rose into a shot as he walked up to the edge of the roof.

"Because now," He answered as he leapt to the next roof, "There is no power on this _Earth_ that can stop me!"

He leapt across the rooftops, straight toward the Weyland-Yutani labs…

* * *

Let it begin… but just what _is_ Weyland-Yutani's game? Can anyone guess?

Please review! Sorry if this chapter wasn't quite up to scratch, it was late when I wrote it, I was tired, but hopefully it was OK.

All reviews welcome!


	39. Army of Darkness

Time is up.

The wait is over.

What Drake is about to face in these next few chapters (kicking off probably in the next one) will be nothing short of apocalyptic. I am going to rock Drake's life to the core and bring you a battle of the _Gods_. (Not literally) I am not exaggerating here. I've been building up to this through the whole story. And it's going to be as epic as it could possibly be.

So here it is, to celebrate hitting 150 reviews, a long-awaited beginning to a climactic confrontation the likes of which the AVP universe has never seen. (To my knowledge) Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far… and now, it begins.

Yautja, Predator and all related characters and trademarks are © 20th Century Fox.

* * *

ARMY OF DARKNESS

"Drake, wait!" Deadstreak shouted, leaping across the rooftops after him.

"Shouldn't we go after them?" Dachande asked after a brief second.

Scarface, however, simply turned and shook his head.

"I've seen the things Drake is facing before. And it will be bad. We have to help them."

"So where are we going."

"The ship."

"The ship? Why?"

"To arm ourselves. Drake's got plenty of weapons, but we'll need more. And besides…"

Scarface suddenly looked down at the street, his mask detecting something.

"What is it?"

"Hurry!" Scarface yelled as he leapt down onto the next rooftop, Dachande quickly jumping after him.

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Drake wasn't even thinking.

Sheer, mindless rage flooded his mind, sweeping away all thought and rationality in a torrent of endless fury. He ignored the feel of the wind and his armour against his skin, unfazed by the dizzying heights of the buildings as he leapt from one to another.

"Drake, hold up!" A voice shouted from behind him. He simply ignored the voice, barely even recognising it.

All he wanted to do was something he should have done weeks ago: Find Yutani, and tear him limb from limb.

And nothing- not even the Gods themselves- would stop him.

Finally, the source of the voice was running alongside him.

"Drake, will you hold up!" Deadstreak yelled, as Drake finally skidded to a halt. "You're just going to go in there and kill everyone in sight, are you?"

"That's as good as it gets," Drake answered flatly. "Now don't get in my way."

They both stood silent for a few seconds, Drake clearly itching to be off, to cover the few remaining blocks between them and the Weyland-Yutani corporation headquarters.

"No stopping you, is there?" Deadstreak finally asked.

Drake simply shook his head.

"OK. But I'm coming."

"I don't need help."

"No, you just don't want it. You have to think about this…"

"What _about_ it? For God's sake…" His voice rose again, his clenched fists tightening as he gritted his teeth. "They almost killed her and threw her out into the street. No one does that to her. _No one!_"

He leapt off again, racing toward the headquarters.

Deadstreak hunched down ready to jump after him, until he heard something behind him.

He turned round to see three futuristic, large weapons held by black-suited soldiers.

He recognised them. From his conversations with Drake, he recognised the soldiers standing before him, and knew exactly what he was in for.

"Monster Squad…"

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"What is it? What's happening?" Dachande shouted as they ran through the sewer.

"No time!" Scarface answered as they finally reached the ship, barely visible as always in the darkened sewer tunnel. Almost desperately, he threw the doors open.

"Grab any weapons you know how to use," He ordered as he grabbed a pair of Mauls from the weapon rack.

"For what? What are we fighting…?"

He was suddenly cut off by a massive explosion behind him, as the door into the ship dented.

"One more like that and they'll be in," Scarface explained with a hint of fear and, mostly, anger in his voice.

"What? What are they?"

"The Monster Squad!"

The door flew in with another explosion. In front of them, three of the black-armoured soldiers stepped in, brandishing their weapons.

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The Glaive cut through the two guards like a hot knife through butter, their blood spraying out in arcs as Drake sliced the blade through the door in front of him.

An access hatch. Easy way in, through the cooling tunnels.

The tunnel stretched out for what looked like miles in front of him, cold and metallic and identical for as far as he could see into the inky blackness.

This was it.

Without a moment of hesitation, he ran forward into the tunnel, whipping out his Glaive as he went.

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"Sir?" The scientist asked nervously as he entered the room.

Yutani turned round silently in his chair, as if in silent contemplation.

"He's here, sir," The scientist continued. "The hybrid…"

"Excellent," Yutani said as a grin began stretching across his face. "And the others?"

"It worked perfectly, sir. The Monster Squad should have them all in custody fairly soon."

"Excellent. We're ready. And the girl?"

"It went perfectly, sir."

"Superb. And what about _them_?"

"They're already fully grown, sir."

"All of them?"

"Yes, sir."

"Excellent. You may go."

After the scientist left, Yutani turned and silently activated a small communicator.

"Keyes," He said as he continued to grin, "He's here. More than likely in the cooling tunnels."

"Sooner than expected, sir."

"Indeed. But everything has gone perfectly."

"Good news. Your instructions, sir?"

"Activate the rest." He looked silently out the window, an insane fire in his eyes. "Activate the army."

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Drake finally reached a dead end in the cooling tunnel. It seemed like he'd been running for an eternity when he reached the ladder.

Prepping the Plasmacaster one last time and whipping out his Glaive, he thrust himself up the ladder and struck the hatch, causing it to go flying up.

To his surprise, he found himself in a room that looked to be entirely dark. He could see… nothing. Just… darkness. That was it. Pitch black.

Before he could activate his mask, however, a sudden clapping sound cut through the air.

"Ah, marvellous," Yutani half-laughed as he entered the room, clapping. "Good to see you again, Drake. Long time, no see."

Drake rose the Glaive in front of him silently.

"You know why I'm here, Yutani."

"Ah yes, your little girlfriend. Shame she couldn't be here…" Again he grinned, chuckling slightly. "I understand she had a doctor's appointment?"

Drake hissed and suddenly ran forward, but as soon as he'd covered a few feet…

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. You see, you haven't thought your actions through tonight, have you?"

"…What?" Drake asked, slowing to a stop.

"Well, if I had a powerful corporation after me," Yutani mused, "I'd make sure to cover my tracks…"

"What are you talking about…" Suddenly, the realisation hit him. "No… Oh, No…"

"Yes. The Monster Squad is assaulting your little homestead even as we speak!"

"You…"

"And don't think that's it, Drake…"

Blinding light suddenly filled the room, what looked like black blurs descending from the ceiling.

"I can take your robots," Drake answered flatly.

"Oh, really? Well… how many can you take?"

Wave after wave of the Monster Squad suddenly leapt down from the rafters, completely filling the room around Drake.

"Wait…" Drake realised. "They… Scarface told me about them. The Monster Squad. They're not robots. They're…"

"Yes. Cybernetic enhancements. Humans."

Drake's anger suddenly rose again. He could almost feel the blood boiling in his veins.

"Who were they?" He demanded, shouting at the top of his lungs? "How many of them? How many times? HOW MANY?"

"They were no one," Yutani said in a completely level voice. "The homeless. The dispossessed. The criminals. And I have made them into something more. I put them to good use."

"You bastard…"

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Keyes silently entered the room, walking up to one of the scientists.

"What's our status?"

"They're ready, sir."

"Excellent. The army is prepared… now it's time to activate Mr. Yutani's greatest achievements…"

He flicked a few switches, a dim light flooding the massive chamber visible through huge glass windows.

What looked like a huge, writhing black mass began to suddenly move, scurrying about in every direction at once.

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A sudden, terrifying, ear-splitting screech filled the air. The mere sound of it caused ice to flood Drake's veins.

"… I know that sound…" He gasped with a sudden fear. "No… that's impossible…" The reality washed over him, numbing him with dread. "It can't be…"

"Oh, I assure you it is," Yutani smirked. "I must thank you for leading us to them."

"You can't have… Oh, God… they're…"

"Yes." Yutani's voice almost rose to a laugh. "Xenomorphs."

"No… how… how many…?"

Yutani was silent for a moment, opening his mouth slowly.

"Thousands."

"You idiot!" Drake yelled as he extended another Glaive. "You can't control…"

"Don't be so sure. And in any case, I'm afraid you've served your purpose. My one aim for you now is one of curiosity."

"What?"

"Let's see what happens when a Xenomorph… impregnates a half-Yautja."

He turned to the legion of Monster Squad soldiers.

"Take him down."

The full weight of what was happening seemed to have punched Drake in the stomach. He wanted to throw us. Rebecca was in hospital, and Scarface, Deadstreak and Dachande were going to be massacred…

…Because of him.

He looked around in horror as the soldiers primed their weapons…

* * *

TO! BE! CONTINUED!

Man, how's Drake going to get out of this one? Monster Squad… Xenomorphs… what else can he have to deal with?

Next Chapter: Drake Vs. The Monster Squad! And there's one more little aspect of Yutani's plan…


	40. Coming Apocalypse

It continues… but how the hell is Drake going to get out of _this_ one? Straight into the story now, and no meandering! I know this chapter's kind of short, but I'm going to leave the shock in this chapter to speak for itself.

Me no own Predator. 20th Century Fox own Predator. Me sad now.

* * *

COMING APOCALYPSE

_Now!_

Drake hurled the Sonic Trap to the ground as it exploded in a blinding light. Shutting his eyes instinctively, Drake leapt up toward the rafters even as the weapons started firing. Twisting instinctively in the air, he fired off two shots from his plasmacaster at the soldiers below.

He leapt down toward the door, cutting the metal apart in an instant with his Glaive as the weapons opened fire again. He jumped through, spinning in mid-jump. As he skidded round a corner in the corridor beyond the door, he felt one of the high-power bullets slice through the flesh on his arm, even as a small grenade skidded across the ground toward him…

Drake leapt back as the device exploded, a shockwave of blue energy surging out. As it hit, however, Drake didn't feel a thing… even as he realised what it was.

_EMP_, he realised. _Prometheus tech… my weapons'll be down…_

He looked up in surprise as the Monster Squad soldiers rounded the corner, suddenly stopping as the moved around him in a perfect, tight circular formation, weapons armed.

"Impressive," Yutani smirked as he slowly clapped his hands. "You certainly can give us a run for our money, Drake…"

"Why?" Drake hissed. "Why did you attack her?"

"Simple. We never managed to track you down… so we just brought you to us."

"A trap…" Drake realised, his voice growing slower.

"Exactly. Though we did track your ship when you left a few months ago."

The horrifying truth ran through Drake, the blood turning to ice in his veins.

"…That's how you got the Xenomorphs."

"Haven't we been over this already, Drake? Of course, there are a few things you don't know…"

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A swarm of soldiers burst into the ship, opening fire as Scarface and Dachande fired off the plasmacasters.

"Go!" Scarface shouted, "Now!"

"What about…"

"Just go, damn it!"

Scarface leapt forward, the blasts tearing through his flesh as he lashed out all around him with the Glaive.

"Run!" He managed to shout as the soldiers pulled him down, arming their weapons toward him and prying away at his mask.

Dachande turned round, only to come face-to-face with two more soldiers.

He stood rooted to the spot as they opened fire…

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Drake whipped out his Glaive, brandishing it in front of him.

"You see…" Yutani said matter-of-factly, "Those thousands of Xenomorphs… they're in the sewers."

"Wait…" Drake realised, "That's all under the city. Why…"

"Easy access," Yutani answered. "The ultimate field experiment."

"You're going to let them _out_?"

"Of course. These creatures…" Yutani spoke with undisguised worship in his voice. "They're the ultimate life forms."

"Idiot!" Drake snapped. "My mentor told me about those things. They've been out there for millennia. My people… we're at _war_ with them! We have been for centuries! They just spread from one planet to another, kill everything and spread to other planets."

"And imagine if we could control them. They'd be the ultimate weapons…"

"People have tried to control them before. They failed. And they died. These are the things that…"

"That wiped out Earth," Yutani answered. "Yes, I know. And this time, we _can_ control them. A little genetic alteration in the egg of the Queen…"

"You've got a _Queen_?"

"Well… we did, but she was uncontrollable. No matter. Soon enough we'll have a new one."

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

"Such a shame, that Rebecca girl. Such a beautiful girl… still, we have to make sacrifices. It's just a problem that the gestation period for the Queen is so long."

Drake's eyes opened wide in shock and horror.

Anything but that. Anything.

"No…" was all he managed. "Not that… Oh, God…"

"Fire."

Drake was still too numb with shock to even move as the weapons fired, cutting through his flesh.

In a few seconds, he'd fallen to the floor, a pool of blood extending beneath him.

"Take him to the nest," Yutani ordered. "Let's get to work on those hybrids."

He turned away, activating his radio again.

"Mr. Keyes?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Are they ready?"

"Yes, but…"

"Good. Let them out."

"What? But sir…"

"You heard me."

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Keyes was still shocked.

"But if we…"

"Just do it. Your final task."

"Final? Sir, I…"

Keyes suddenly turned around as a Monster Squad soldier stood before him, pushed his gun to Keyes' chest, and fired. A shower of blood shot out of Keyes' back as he fell to the ground.

The Monster Squad soldier approached a small terminal and activated a switch, a large door opening behind the Xenomorphs.

"Now go…" Yutani half-laughed over the radio. "And bring more to feed the Brood!"

* * *

And you thought the picture was bleak _before!_ All reviews welcome.


	41. Invasion

OK, sorry for the lack of updates, I've been away for about a week. Anyway, here comes the next chapter of the seriously crappy situation in which Drake has now found himself.

I've just seen that this story is on 19 people's favourites list, and has gotten over 14,000 hits and 171 reviews. Ooh, big numbers! So thanks to everyone who's reviewed, you've gotten this story where it is.

Once this story is done (that time is now fast approaching) I will probably do a sequel of some sort.

20th Century Fox owns the Yautja and any other cool stuff in this story. But I _think_ I own Drake as he's my character and only half-Yautja… can someone help me out with that? Oh well… on with the story!

* * *

INVASION

Drake felt the cold, metal restraints on his wrists, felt the darkness in his mind as he woke, the black comfort of unconsciousness fading from his mind…

"Drake?" A voice came from next to him.

Drake groggily lifted his head, looking down to see that he was cut and bleeding all over. He looked around and saw that, forming a ring around a circular table in the middle of the room, were Scarface, Dachande and Deadstreak.

"What… what happened?" He asked through the ache all over him, even as the memory flooded into his mind. "Oh God… how long have we been out?"

"About two hours. Yutani sent the Monster Squad after all of us… that C'jit…"

"Honour isn't exactly high of his priorities list," Drake answered flatly.

Drake looked around at his restraints. Each one of them was hooked to a bizarre contraption.

"Scarface," Drake asked with fear growing inside his gut, "How long is the gestation period for a Xenomorph Queen?"

"…About three days," Scarface answered. "Why?"

"…They have Xenomoprhs."

"What? How many?"

"Thousands."

"C'jit…"

"And…" Drake was silent for a second, completely overwhelmed.

"And what?"

"The Queen…" He started, "They used… they're using Rebecca to breed the Queen."

"What?"

"Well, that's one more reason to get out of here," Deadstreak spoke up.

"And how do we do that?" Dachande asked. "We're tied down to big heavy contraptions and bolted to the floor. With…"

The four Yautja looked down, realising what was on the table.

Four large, slime-covered eggs.

Xenomorph eggs.

And they were opening.

Drake simply remained silent.

He simply had to face it: There was no way out of this. The Xenomorphs would be spreading all over the city by now; there was no way to escape. No way to help her. It was over. Yutani had won.

He'd lost.

"No…" He suddenly snarled through his gritted teeth.

"No what?"

"No…" Drake was almost shouting now. "I'm not giving up now…" He immediately began to struggle, pulling at the metal restraints. "Monster Squad… Gang wars… Xenomorphs… all that training… we've gone through too much."

As he pulled, the metal suddenly began to grate as, in front of him, the eggs parted, the thing, spider-like legs of the facehuggers emerging through the top.

"I am NOT giving up now!" He roared, "I'm going to get out of here, I'm going to wipe out every last one of these bastards, and I am going to save her!"

The metal stretched…

"I don't care what the hell it takes…"

It stretched…

"He is going to pay…"

Stretched…

"I don't care if I have to walk through the fires of hell to do it…"

Stretched…

"I AM NOT GIVING UP!"

Finally, the metal broke, hurling forward as Drake's arms came free. He reached down and smashed his fist through the egg and the skin of the facehugger, bringing it back up and ignoring the pain as the acid blood burned through the flesh of his hand as he put it to the other restraints, burning through them in an instant.

In no time at all, the four Yautja had been freed and were reattaching their gear.

"They'll be all over the city by now," Scarface said coldly, before walking up to Drake.

"Drake…" He began slowly, "Listen to me… if there's a queen, then that gives us a chance. That means the hive's been established, and there's only one way to do this."

"…No…"

"Drake, listen! I know what you feel for her… but killing the Queen will kill off the rest of the hive."

"I can't…"

"We have no choice!"

"No! I don't care what the hell you say, I am not killing her!"

"I know that!" Scarface said seriously. "I know it's painful for you. I know you love her. Drake, look at me…" Scarface's expression was grim and serious… and filled with regret. "If there was _any_ other way of stopping them, we would do it. But this… this is the _only_ chance this entire planet, or any other planet around here, has. It's either her or the planet.We have no choice, Drake."

Drake was silent for a minute.

"Wait…" Something suddenly hit him. "If we can get to her… could we get her back to the ship?"

"Drake…" Scarface cut him off. "They've _taken_ the ship. It'll be in the Weyland-Yutani building by now."

"That's even better! If we can get her to the ship… we've got the medical lab in there. What if we could get the queen chestburster out of her?"

"…" Scarface paused for a moment, in thought. "Human technology can't handle it…" He mused, "But Yautja technology… Drake, I think you've got something! There'll still be time left in the gestation period."

"Then I'll go," Drake interrupted. "We save her, and we save this entire planet."

The other three Yautja nodded, taking up their weapons as Drake fired his plasmacaster, firing at the wall to reveal a scene of complete…

Calm?

"What… where are they?" Drake asked, perplexed. "I don't see anything…"

"They haven't left," Dachande thought out loud. "Why haven't they left the facility?"

"I think I know," Scarface answered him. "Xenomorphs are smart, smarter than those human Pauks give them credit for."

"What?"

Scarface wore an expression of cold dread.

"They were waiting," He realised. "They knew they were being kept there, being enslaved… they've been _planning._"

"Planning? Planning what?"

As if in response, an alarm suddenly sounded behind them, with a computerised voice.

"All Monster Squad units to lower levels. Biocontainment area breached."

"A war," Scarface answered him. "They're angry. They want revenge."

"Against what?"

"Against Yutani. And when they're done, then…"

"Then what?"

"_That's_ when they'll wipe out this entire planet…"

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Even as Scarface spoke, in the lower levels of the building, wall after wall of men fell as the Xenomorphs poured through like a black cloud.

In front of the horde of monsters, however, a huge, metallic door suddenly opened. From a small camera, Yutani was watching.

In the elevator, were Monster Squad.

Every single one of them.

Thousands.

"Wretched beasts…" Yutani scowled before activating a small communicator device.

"My children…" He commanded, "…Give them pain!"

* * *

Basically, this chapter was just build-up. But I personally like the scene where Drake is escaping; I think the emotion came off quite well.

All reviews welcome!

Next Chapter: The Xenomoprhs Vs The Monster Squad! Place bets now!


	42. War

All bets are off…

The showdown begins…

The Monster Squad Vs The Xenomorphs!

Let battle commence…

Yautja, Predator, Xenomorph, Aliens and all related characters and trademarks are © 20th Century Fox.

* * *

WAR

In an instant, the sound of the Monster Squad's guns cut through the air, a hail of glowing missiles and streams of green energy washing through toward the mass of destruction that was tearing towards them.

The Xenomorphs moved chaotically, leaping forward, straight into the path of the blasts as they began to cut through their skin.

After a few seconds, their hideous, black-skinned bodies began to fall to the ground.

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With a glowing, green display in his mask, Drake watched through multiple floors and ceilings as the Xenomorphs begin to drop.

"They're going down fast," he commented. "But… they _dodged_ before. They were clever, hell… they almost outsmarted us."

"They were _organised_ before," Dachande summed it up for him. "What's wrong with them?"

"The hive mind's incomplete," Scarface explained. "No Queen, nothing to connect them, nothing to give them orders. Nothing to control them. They're just a moving mass of destruction."

"So that means the Monster Squad have the advantage?"

Scarface shook his head.

"There's too many of them. They'll either force their way through or their weapons will overheat. There are defences in there, that should hold them."

"What about the Queen in Rebecca?" Drake asked with dread, "If it's not controlling them, we can't use it to kill them!"

"The connection's still there," Scarface told him. "We can still use it. But we'll have to move fast, it's the only chance we've got."

"I can get to the hospital," Drake nodded.

"How do you get her out?" Deadstreak asked. "They'll be all around her, they'll… they'll have _X-rayed_ her…"

"Will they operate?" Drake asked.

Scarface nodded silently.

"And they won't be able to get it out. Not without killing her. And in that case…" Scarface turned to face his son. "Drake, you really are the last chance that this planet has. Go. Now."

Drake turned, ran to the window, and jumped out…

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The Monster Squad were still firing, slicing through the mass of black before them as the acid blood burned gaping holes in the floor and walls…

Suddenly, up from the gaping hole, another virtual sheet of the monsters burst up, leaping through the air and into the Monster Squad.

Claws, acid, teeth and tails began to tear through flesh and machinery as the weapons fired at the Xenomorphs from all directions.

In seconds, though, for every Xenomorph that was cut to ribbons by their weapons, two Monster Squad soldiers were ripped to pieces.

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"They're organising," Dachande announced.

"That's impossible," Scarface gasped. "The Queen couldn't be gestating nearly that fast!"

"Unless…"

"What?"

"Well," Dachande started, "It's just a guess, but… they've been studying the Xenomorphs. They've been breeding them, and they had the egg with the face hugger that impregnated Rebecca, right?"

"Right…"

"So, with the gestation period… maybe they managed to change that."

"Maybe they accelerated it," Scarface realised. "If that's true, then…"

"Then?"

"Then we have even less time than we thought…"

Scarface picked up his Glaive.

"We have to get to the ship."

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Yutani grimly watched the battle unfold, as his soldiers were ripped to pieces.

"Bastards…" He grunted, "Oh, but wait until my Queen is ready…"

He looked down at one of the cameras, showing the three Yautja preparing themselves.

"Ah! Only three… then he's already on his way. I suppose I'd better get going then…"

He pressed a switch and walked across his office as part of the wall slid up.

"Time to end this little game…"

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Another Xenomorph was gunned down.

Another two Monster Squad soldiers were ripped to shreds.

The Xenomorphs began to pour into the huge elevator, scrambling up the wall. The writhing, swarming mass of the foul creatures swarmed down upon the Monster Squad, at least ten Xenomorphs tearing into each one soldier as the gunfire volleyed through the air.

Acid Blood began to fly through the air as the last of the soldiers continued firing.

The sides of the elevator melted before the acid, wisps of smoke rising amidst the chaos.

Finally, the elevator gave way, shooting down through the shaft with the bodies of the entire Monster Squad.

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"They're in the Elevator shaft," Deadstreak reported as the three Yautja ran through the now-empty building. "They've wiped out the Monster Squad."

"That fast?" Dachande gaped. "Jesus… how many Xenomorphs did they kill?"

"About two thousand."

"Leaving?"

"About five thousand."

"Through those doors!" Scarface interrupted, gesturing to two double doors.

After a second, they kicked the doors open as they entered the hangar.

The ship was held in the middle by huge supports and wires.

"Looks intact," Scarface nodded. "Come on…"

At that moment, the three Yautja looked up at the ceiling as a sudden sound filled the air.

A sound they knew.

The sound of thousands of scurrying, monstrous creatures…

* * *

Next Chapter: The Yautja take on the Xenomorphs! Drake races to save Rebecca's life! Yutani puts the final part of his plan into action!

God, I still can't believe what a success this story has been… by far the most successful thing I've written (and the longest)

I know the face-off may have been a little quick, but I wanted to show how, though the Monster Squad had an initial slight advantage, through sheer numbers and eventually organisation, the Xenos had them completely outmatched.

BTW, I'd just like to ask everyone reading to actually rate this story out of 10. Don't be shy! All reviews welcome!


	43. Armageddon Unfolds

Right then, here comes another chapter of this fiction of the fan variety… let the final showdown begin!

Predator, Yautja, Xenomorph… oh to hell with it, I don't own any of this stuff. Big deal.

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ARMAGEDDON UNFOLDS

"Get ready…" Scarface nodded, extending the Glaive. "Defend the ship."

Deadstreak and Dachande both nodded, their glaives and wristblades extending and their plasmacasters whirring to life. Their bodies tensed as the metal above them was grated away…

"We don't have much time," Scarface said quietly. "There are far to many of those things."

"Paya…" Dachande half-whispered, "Drake you'd better make it fast…"

The metal above them gave way, flying out in a wide arc as the writhing mass of black-skinned monsters burst through, screeching as they dived down.

"Now!" Scarface yelled, leaping up, swinging the glaive and slicing through one of the Xenomorphs. Even as he did so, two more leapt toward him, hurling him to the ground. He looked up as the writhing mass descended around the three of them…

Deadstreak's plasmacaster fired off a white-hot bolt, blasting into a pair of them. Dachande's wristblades cut through the creatures even as the acid blood ate through them…

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Drake raced across the rooftops, ignoring his own exhaustion and the ache that filled his body. He ignored the wind whipping at him and his heart pounding.

The hospital came into view as he leapt across the rooftop, crouching on the edge and looking down toward Rachel's hospital room.

She was asleep in the hospital bed. Two doctors surrounding her.

_Great,_ he finally thought, _I'll get someone after me if I get her out of there now… I can't wait, though, don't know how much time there is…_

"You did get here fast, didn't you?" An all-too-familiar voice rang in the air.

Drake spun round to see just who was standing there.

"…Yutani?" He asked, barely recognising him.

Yutani stood there calmly, but not as Drake had seen him. He wore only his trousers, and his chest was muscular to say the least. At the same time, it was far from human. Thick organic tubes like those on the sides of the Xenomorphs twisted around the sides of his torso, accompanied by wires that went round to his chest. His right shoulder was entirely mechanical, as well as his entire left arm. His skin was covered in ridges, just like the Xenomorphs.

"Jesus…" Drake gasped, "What the hell…?"

"You think the Monster Squad were the only things I upgraded?" Yutani laughed. "Of course I saved the best modifications for myself…"

Drake whipped out the Glaive, brandishing it in front of him.

"Don't try and stop me," he threatened. "I will cut you down, you old fuc…"

"What makes you so sure you'd succeed?" Yutani cut him off.

Snarling, Drake spun through the air, extending his wristblades as the Glaive spun…

Yutani grabbed the Glaive, forced it down into the roof and kicked Drake in the face, hurling him away.

"Like it?" Yutani laughed. "Xenomorph DNA. Monster Squad implants. _Yautja_ technology and DNA from the company's old storage facilities. That concoction amplifies by capabilities more than you could comprehend…"

Drake barely even heard him. Mainly because he'd just fired the Plasmacaster.

Yutani leapt over the plasma bolt and thundered down through the air. Drake rolled across the ground, narrowly avoiding him, and kicked him in the side.

Barely feeling the blow, Yutani grabbed Drake by the head and hurled him across the roof.

"Face it, boy…" Yutani laughed, "There's nothing you can do. Your friends are probably being ripped to pieces right now. I am about to kill you slowly and painfully. And. You. Are. Never. Going. To. See. That. Little. Bitch. Again!"

Drake suddenly leapt up, hurling the Glaive upwards and into Yutani's chest. Through skin, flesh, bone and right out the other side.

That was when Yutani laughed and kicked him in the ribs.

"Nice try, boy," he laughed. "It's over!"

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Deadstreak leapt back, hurling three firebombs into the mass of Xenomorphs. As they exploded, the black-skinned monsters dived out of the way as the blazing heat burst out.

"Into the ship!" Scarface yelled at the top of his lungs. "We can hold them off better!"

Still firing away, they backed into the ship, the doors closing in front of them.

"That won't hold them for long," Scarface said flatly. "The ship's defences will buy us some extra time, but…"

His face fell beneath his mask.

"If Drake doesn't get back here with Rebecca, then we're finished."

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Drake felt himself hit the side of the water tower. Yutani struck him in the face again, one of the metal supports buckling and breaking before the force of the blow. Drake grunted in pain as he felt his ribs snap inside his chest.

"Now Die!" Yutani yelled, swinging his fist through the air…

Drake suddenly leapt up as Yutani's fist smashed through the support. Swinging the Glaive, he cut through another…

"Page One, Rule One:" Drake grinned as the tower collapsed, "Don't mess with the Yautja."

The entire water tower collapsed, the huge mass of water surging down. The splintering metal crashed down onto Yutani, carrying him down into the street below with a deafening metallic crash.

Drake pulled himself up. At least three of his ribs were broken and a long cut ran along his side.

Ignoring his own injuries, he turned back toward the hospital window.

There were three more doctors in there.

Shutting his eyes, Drake listened intently…

"We're ready to operate," one of the doctors nodded. "But we have to act now…"

_No!_ Drake realised. _If they operate, she'll die…_

Drake leapt forward, the glass of the window smashing before him…

The doctors spun round as Drake landed right in front of them. They immediately backed away, turned and fled.

Behind Drake, Rebecca had shot up in the hospital bed.

"Drake!" She gasped, "You…"

"Rebecca, listen," Drake said quickly, "You have to come with me…"

"I can't!" Rebecca gasped, "I…"

"You have to trust me!" Drake pleaded. "I don't have time to explain and you wouldn't believe me anyway, but _please_!"

"But…"

"Rebecca." He put his hands on the sides of her head. "Do you trust me?"

"…Yes…"

"Then trust me _now_."

"…OK."

Drake nodded and picked her up, running over to the window.

"Freeze!" A voice came form behind him.

Two police officers raced into the room, pointing their weapons at Drake.

"_C'jit…_!"

At that moment, however, what looked like a blur shot through the window, hurling both guards into the corridor. Their dead bodies immediately slumped to the floor.

"Going somewhere?" Yutani smirked as he clenched his fists.

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OK, my intent there was that the chapter got more frantic as it went on.

I know there were no real barrier here. Problem with the document manager. I've complained.

To sum up the situation: Drake must save Rebecca and he's about to get the crap kicked into him by Yutani. Meanwhile the Yautja are trapped inside the ship. Man, could this _get_ any worse?

Next Chapter: It gets worse.

All reviews welcome!


	44. War on Two Fronts

Holy Jesus Crackers… 190 reviews and over 16,000 hits! Christ all mighty, when did that number get that high? Now I'm hoping to make it to 200 reviews by the end of this story.

Anyway: Time to continue on the cliffy from the last chapter. Will this be the end of Drake, Rebecca, Scarface and everyone on the Colony?

I'd like to add that Dachande is named after the Yautja in the novel AVP: Prey. I think.

Yautja, Predator, Aliens, Xenomorph, and all related characters and trademarks are © 20th Century Fox. Drake is © Zillah 91. I think.

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WAR ON TWO FRONTS

Drake extended the Glaive again, entering a fighting stance.

"Don't you lay a finger on her, you piece of filth!" He snarled.

"Oh, I don't intend to." Yutani answered. "I just aim to kill you and keep an eye on her until her little 'carriage' can hatch."

"Hatch?" Rebecca gasped. "What does he…"

"That's why I have to get you back to the ship," Drake answered. "We can get that thing out of you without killing you, but if it hatches…"

"Drake, what is it?"

"A Xenomorph," He answered flatly. "Come on, we have to get out of here--"

Yutani suddenly shot forward, elbowing Drake in the face and sending him flying back. He felt the pain shoot through his cheekbone, seconds before he slammed into the wall.

A second later, he felt Yutani grab him by the neck and throw him back to the floor on the other side of the room.

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"Well, we can't do much good in here," Dachande sighed. "For God's sake, hurry it up, man…" As if Drake could hear him.

A loud scraping sounded from outside.

"They definitely want to come in…" Deadstreak nodded. "We have to try and fight them off."

"No!" Scarface ordered. "We stay in here. Is that understood?"

"What, and wait for them to rip us to pieces? Or put one of those facehuggers on us?"

"Either that or go out that and get ripped to pieces right away! We wait here."

"Drake will be back," Dachande interrupted. "He's our only chance. We trust him, Deadstreak. Why don't you?"

Deadstreak paused.

"Is it because he's human?" Scarface finally asked.

"No." Deadstreak insisted. "I know Drake will come through. But which one will take longer- Drake getting back here, or those things breaking through?"

The metal on the door in front of them began to rend and tear.

"That answers that," Dachande nodded, priming his plasmacaster.

"We have the advantage," Scarface informed them. "That's the only point on the ship they've broken, and not many can come through at once. We can pick them off as they come in!"

The second the Xenomorphs began to pour in, blasts from Plasmacasters, Spearguns, Smart Discs, and Fire Bombs filled the air, along with the screeches of the Xenomorphs.

After a second, however, their yellow-green acid-blood spewed over the sides of the door and walls, beginning to eat through it.

In about a minute, parts of the wall suddenly broke off, more Xenomorphs pouring in…

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"Drake!" Rebecca shouted, running over to him. A second later, Yutani suddenly threw her back.

"Sorry, my dear," He smirked, "It's a long story, but I think it's about time I killed your little boyfriend…"

He kicked Drake in the ribs, walking calmly around him.

"I can't believe your kind…" he hissed. "Destroying such amazing things as the Xenomorphs…" he kicked him again, right in the gut. "And to think, a rational human would side with those things…" Another kick. "Siding with those freaks!"

He kicked him again, then leaned down, forcefully pulling off Drake's mask in time to see him cough up blood.

"Tell me…" Yutani snarled, "How do you think your parents would fell if they saw you alongside those things?"

He pulled back his leg to kick him again…

Drake suddenly grabbed his leg, flipped him up, extended his wristblades and slashed him across the chest. Yutani staggered back as Drake stood up, his face looking suddenly calm.

Yet something seemed suddenly different about him… he looked… cold.

Except his eyes.

They glowed with a fierce rage, driven by a fury burning deep inside him.

"You wretched boy…" Yutani hissed, "Die!"

As Yutani struck, Drake grabbed his wrist, span round and elbowed him in the face. He kicked Yutani's legs from underneath him and, grabbing his head, he brought his knee up and struck him in the back of the neck, before throwing him across the hospital room.

"Drake!" Rebecca shouted again, running up to him. "Are you OK?"

Drake suddenly blinked, the fire in his eyes subsiding. He looked almost… shocked.

"I... I think so…" He stuttered, "What…"

He looked over to Yutani's still, unmoving form.

"…What happened…?" He finally asked.

Rebecca's face suddenly froze, her hand going up to her chest.

"I… I can feel it," She gasped. "In my chest… oh my God, what is it? Drake what's inside me…?"

"We can get it out," Drake told her. "But only if we act right now."

Rebecca simply stood still.

"It's moving…" She gaped. "Drake, I can see…"

"What?"

"Those things… trying to get inside the metal shell, ready… ready to take them."

"Take them? Take who?"

"Their enemies… their enemies for ages, the creatures, the hunters… and they're winning, they've almost got them. They can't hold them back much longer, can't hold back her children…" Tears suddenly began to well in her eyes. "Drake, what's happening?"

"It's maturing," Drake thought out loud. "It's in control of the Xenomorphs, but it's still inside you… maybe we can use that."

"…How? This thing inside me…"

"Exactly. Inside you. As long as it's in there, it's a part of you. You can use it. You can call them off. Those three, they're my kind, they can help you. They can get this thing out, but not if they're dead."

"…Ok…" Rebecca breathed. "I—I'll try…"

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The swarms of Xenomorphs surrounded the Yautja, pouring inwards…

"Hold them off!" Scarface shouted as they tried to beat back the great cloud of the monsters.

"There's too many!" Deadstreak yelled back. "There's nothing we can…"

Suddenly, the Xenomorphs stopped around them. Not tense, just… standing there. As if hearing something.

And, a second later, they moved away. Pouring back out in one uniform, black mass.

"Drake…" Dachande gasped, barely standing with all the long, green cuts on him, "Whatever the hell you just did, it worked…"

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"Come on," Drake said quickly. "You're controlling the Xenomorphs. That can help us. But that means it's almost mature. We're running out of time."

With Rebecca holding onto his shoulders, Drake leapt from the hole in the window, to the opposite rooftop.

Beside him, though, the still form of Professor Yutani moved, and began to stand…

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OK, a few notes:

1: Exactly why Drake suddenly seemed to somehow change, kicked the crap out of Yutani and had no memory of it, is for you to ponder. It will probably be explained at some point.

2: (Important) Due to the great success of this story, I plan to write a sequel to this story. I have a few ideas for this story, which will more than likely feature a Bad Blood, and we'll definitely have some new Yautja characters. If I write a sequel, I'd probably continue developing Rebecca's character as well, and Drake would most likely continue to improve his skills. Beyond that, I'll just say I have some nasty plans for Deadstreak.

3: I have a few ideas for this- how do you think I should conclude this story with respects to the relationship between Drake and Rebecca?

All Reviews Welcome!


	45. Arrival

Sweet Gorilla of Manila! 200 reviews! I did it! Honest to God, I never thought this fic would do so well…

Time to celebrate, then, as there's not many chapters left. But a big thanks to all those who've shown their support by reviewing.

Now for some violence. Secreted by giant violence bees. On the planet Violence 7…

Sorry about that. I think **StormRaven333**'s insanity is starting to rub off on me and cause me to go crazy (er).

Fox own Predator. Me no own Predator. Me sad now.

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ARRIVAL

Drake's heart pounded as he leapt across the rooftops. For all he knew, it could already be too late. The Queen could burst out of Rebecca at any second.

No.

He wouldn't let that happen. Not as long as there was a breath left in his body.

He finally made that last jump, onto the roof of the Weyland-Yutani laboratory.

"Hold on," He said quietly as he leapt in through one of the windows.

The corridor was empty… but covered with blood and acid burns. Rotting carcasses of humans and Xenomorphs littered the hallway.

"Are they dead?" Rebecca asked, disgusted at the site of the cold remains.

"Yeah." Drake nodded to her. "Come on, the ship's further down."

"Drake…" Rebecca suddenly asked, "What if those things…"

"You can send them away again," Drake answered her. "That'll get us inside the ship and we can get that thing out of you."

Rebecca blinked and looked down nervously.

"Rebecca…"

Drake tenderly brought her gaze up to face his.

"You will live." He said firmly. "I promise."

They both turned, running down the corridor.

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It felt like ages before they reached the hangar containing the ship, running across the rafters.

"We're here," Drake gasped. "We made it!"

"Oh my God…" Rebecca gasped, looking down at the Yautja ship, its arced front and the two huge engines on its sides. "It's incredible…"

"Wait until you see the inside," Drake nodded. "Come on, we have to get down there!"

After a second, however, something dropped down behind her. Drake immediately turned round to see what it was…

As soon as he did, Yutani dashed forward, striking Drake in the head with his shoulder. He flew back and struck one of the girders with a metallic clang.

"Yutani!" He grunted. "You…"

"Not yet, you little freak…" Yutani spat, lifting Drake up by his head and kicking him.

Drake was hurled back, across girders and into another one with a loud clang, bouncing off and landing strewn across another girder.

Yutani immediately leapt over, landing right next to Drake, picking him up and punching in the chest.

"Fool," Yutani laughed. "Across half the city and back again. Wounded. Knocked out by the Monster Squad. Two of these little bouts… seems like the fight's out of you, kid."

He hurled Drake back, but he suddenly bounced off the girder and back, striking Yutani in the face with his forehead. Yutani lashed out as Drake landed, but he grabbed his foot and kicked him in the face. Yutani's other foot shot up and kit Drake in the chin, knocking him back.

"Drake!" Rebecca shouted from across the rafters as they fought. "Oh, God…"

She suddenly looked around, desperate for some solution to shoot out of the blue…

"Wait…" She suddenly gasped to herself. "Drake said I could send them away. So maybe…"

Shutting her eyes, she felt the creature in her chest stir.

It was almost ready…

Desperately, she felt the presence of the other monsters, not so far away…

Drake felt himself hurled down, seconds before feeling Yutani's knee strike the back of his head. He slumped to the girder as Yutani kicked him in the side of the head.

"Fool!" Yutani scoffed. "Don't you get this? I don't know what the hell you did back at the hospital, but face it… it's over! Maybe I'll find out what that was when I dissect you…"

Suddenly, a wave of blackness shot into him… a sudden surge of slimy, black, scaly bodies as the screeches of Xenomorphs filled the air.

"What…?" Yutani shouted as the creatures piled onto him. "Stop this! Get away!"

He desperately struck out, sending one of the Xenomorphs flying back, but their inner mouths, claws and tail began to cut into him.

"Get away from me! I created you!"

Finally, the Xenomorphs forced him from the end of the girder, carrying him down to the floor with a deafening crash as they tore into him…

Drake struggled to his feet, using the Girder to pull himself up.

A second later, the situation shot right back into his mind.

In an instant, he was next to Rebecca again, wounded and out of breath… but alive.

"…Thank you…" he managed to gasp, looking down painfully at his broken ribs as his left arm hung limp.

"Drake, you arm…"

"No time." He answered flatly. "Come on!"

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The door on the side of the ship flew open.

"You made it!" Deadstreak gasped, as Drake and Rebecca ran in.

Rebecca suddenly looked up, shocked, at Deadstreak's face.

"What's with her?" Dachande asked as he attached his mask.

"Relax," Drake reassured Rebecca. "They're my Clan. You'll be fine with them."

"It… speaks English?" Rebecca asked, having heard only clicks and growls from Deadstreak.

"Translator," Drake answered. "They'll get that thing out of you, don't worry. You'll be fine. Just what I promised."

Suddenly, however, a loud screeching sounded from outside.

The Xenomorphs were descending around the walls, surrounding the ship…

"I can't control them," Rebecca gasped. "Oh God…"

"Get her to the medical room," Drake instructed. "I'll hold them off."

"We're going with you." Dachande instructed.

"No."

"Yes we are," Deadstreak answered. "We won't be of any help to Scarface anyway. You're not facing this one alone, Drake. You need help."

Drake paused for a second.

"Let's do it." He finally answered, turning round.

"Drake…"

Drake turned round as Rebecca suddenly removed his mask, flung her arms around him and kissed him passionately on the lips.

"I love you…" She said softly.

"I'll come back." Drake answered. "I promise."

"We have to get started," Scarface interrupted.

"Go with him," Drake told you. "He's my mentor. You'll be fine."

Drake, Deadstreak and Dachande turned and left the ship…

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TO BE CONTINUED…

OK, there's about three chapters left in this story now. Next Chapter: Drake, Deadstreak and Dachande Vs a whole army of Xenomorphs… can we say 'Dangerous'?

To be honest though, is anyone getting sick of this story? Like I dragged it out too much or something?

All reviews welcome! (But flames will be used on the Barbeque to cook me some tasty Xenomorph meat!) (Sorry. Craziness acting up again)


	46. Kill Them All

Been a while, huh? Well, here comes the next part toward the ever-approaching conclusion…

But first of all, it may interest you to know that there's now some artwork of Drake available for viewing in my profile, though I should make it clear that my friend actually drew it (as I have the artistic skills of a dead lemur)

Oh well. Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

KILL THEM ALL

The door of the ship slammed shut.

This was it.

The huge, relentless tide of the thousands of Xenomorphs poured down as Drake's Glaive whipped out and he inhaled. He was ready. He'd trained for this since he was 4 years old. And here he was, with his clan brothers, leading them from the front…

"NOW!"

The three Yautja opened fire, the bolts of Plasma shooting through the air as the huge wave of monsters twisted in the air. The blasts hit one after another, exploding in sparks of fire and energy. Repulsively charred black bodies shot through the air as the Yautja leapt atop the ship.

"TAKE THEM DOWN!"

Drake's Smart Disc shot out of his hand, spinning through the air and slicing through the Xenomorphs, acidic blood spraying out as they screamed, the blood melting the disc through to its core.

Flashes from the spears fired by Dachande shot through the air, bursting into the horrible faces of the Xenomorphs as they cried out.

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"Hold on…" Scarface muttered quietly as he heard the screeching monsters outside. Rebecca was lying, anaesthetized, on the table in the Medical Bay. He picked up the Medikit, turning to the girl.

"Not much time…" He picked up the two dagger-like syringes.

"Paya, let us not be too late…"

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"Keep it up!" Deadstreak yelled as he crouched, "Don't stop firing!"

The bolts of Plasma and spears and discs and firebombs continued raining down into the swarm.

One Xenomorph leapt up, only to be struck with a firebomb and burst into flame, falling onto three others.

"Fire!" Drake suddenly realised. "There are flammable barrels all over this hangar…"

A second later, he'd leapt up to throw the firebomb…

And then, they had hit him.

The burst of Xenomorphs carried him back onto the ship, their claws digging into him as his mask flew from his flesh.

"DRAKE!" Deadstreak yelled, slashing at the backs of the monstrosities with his Glaive. "Get off him, you scaly bastards!"

Another Xenomorph leapt into his back, its inner mouth cutting into the flesh on his side and tearing it away with a spray of bright green blood.

Dachande fired his Speargun, sending the creature hurling back, but a second later, two has leapt onto him, one of their tails stabbing him in the side as he collapsed in pain…

They were going down.

Buried under a wave of monsters.

They would die amongst their claws and fangs…

No… Not like this… 

Drake struggled, unable to even move under the weight of the creatures, looking up as one of their inner mouths reared back…

It was about to strike.

To end it.

No! 

A second later, a wave of Xenomorph erupted off of Drake, hurled back into the other monsters.

Drake stood in the middle, his jaws parting as a Yautja's roar suddenly escaped him.

A second later, his fist plunged into a Xenomorph's stomach. A second after that, it was pulled out, the acid burning at his flesh even as he leapt across the Xenomorphs, throwing the acid-covered organ straight into one of the barrels that lined the room…

A moment later, it exploded. Then another. And another.

The entire room was filled with blazing fireballs as the Xenomorphs screamed, their bodies burning to charred ash in the flames.

_They're distracted,_ Drake realised as the Xenomorphs on the ship turned to see the flames.

"Hit them! Now!"

All three Yautja spun round with their Glaives, cutting through skin, flesh and acid blood.

"The Fire Bombs!" Deadstreak shouted, throwing three of the devices into the crowds of Xenomorphs. "We've got them!"

A moment later, the swarm- or the remaining half of it- shot up the ship, leaping toward them and forcing them down again, backing them into a circle.

"It's no use," Deadstreak gasped. "There's too many."

"He's right." Dachande agreed with him. "Even if Scarface succeeds, we'll be long dead."

"I know," Drake answered flatly, his acid-burned hand gripping the Glaive. "But there's one difference we can make. Just one."

His eyes became angry, filled with a raging fire as he raised the Glaive.

"And that's how many of these miserable bastards we can TAKE DOWN WIH US!"

The three again shot forward, their Glaives ripping through the murderous creatures even as their flesh was shredded…

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"YES!" Scarface shouted, finally removing the mature chestburster from Rebecca's opened chest.

"Game over!"

With one motion, he snapped the Praetorian's neck, ending its shrill screech.

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Drake saw the wave of blackness around him suddenly fall.

The Xenomorphs looked like they'd been stabbed. They each fell back, falling from the ship into the flames below.

He looked around desperately…

There they were. Deadstreak and Dachande.

Lying in their own blood.

Drake ran desperately over to them, ignoring his own shredded body, and kneeled down next to each of them.

They were alive. Injured, but they were alive.

They'd done it.

All he could do, for a long moment, was laugh. He felt dizzy, his head was spinning, and he could barely stand… and he laughed.

"We did it…" He finally breathed, collapsing to all fours.

He looked down, seeing the Xenomorphs' bodies burning away in the flames.

And then…

He saw Yutani's foot right before it struck his face.

* * *

Man, Yutani just WILL NOT QUIT, huh? So Rebecca's saved and the Xenomorphs are gone…

So just one guy to fight. Who's super-strong. And Drake's completely drained.

Man, he's screwed…

Next Chapter: The Final Battle!

All Reviews Welcome!


	47. One Last War

Well, here we are at the final battle. No holds barred. Drake Vs. Yutani. Advantage: Yutani!

And so, let it commence: The beginning of the end and the end of the beginning…

Man, where'd _that_ come from!

Predator and all related characters and trademarks are © 20th Century Fox

* * *

ONE LAST WAR

Drake's body spun with his head, the world around him becoming a blur as his head hit the ground.

His arms felt like they were made of bricks as the sticky, salty taste of his own blood trickled into his mouth. The entire room was spinning. Try as he might, he couldn't stand up.

Monster Squad. Xenomorphs. Breaking out. Breaking back _in_. Three fights already with this lunatic.

This insane bastard who just wouldn't _die_!

It was too much.

Every last ounce of his strength was drained.

He couldn't even stand.

He felt Yutani's hand grab him by the neck, pulling him up. Yutani's knee smashed into Drake's chest and he coughed up blood before being dropped to the ground.

Looking up this time, he saw Yutani.

He definitely looked different. His skin was covered in gashes and acid-burns. His hair was almost completely burned away… along with a lot of his skin. The metal was blackened and torn open in several places, a few of the joints sparking.

He was a wreck.

Drake was worse.

"You little piece of _filth!_" Yutani shouted, kicking Drake in the stomach. "Everything was so _perfect_…" Another kick. "And then you ruined _everything!_"

He pulled Drake up and smashed his head into Drake's face.

Drake's vision became dark… but he was still conscious. His head pounded as he fell down again.

"But now we see who's really superior…" Yutani laughed almost hysterically. Now, boy…"

He hoisted Drake to his feet with remarkable ease. It was more strength than the implants had given him.

It was the strength of madness.

"… You will recognise your better." Yutani spat in Drake face before throwing him across the top of the ship, resulting in one arm hanging limp over the edge.

"Now…" Yutani hissed, "You will _beg_ for mercy!"

Another kick to the head. Drake was blacking out by the second.

He was going to black out and be killed.

And there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

"I'll tell you something, though." Yutani continued as Drake struggled to even move.

Yutani continued:

"You brought this on yourself, boy. You should have just given up when you had the chance. Let my little plans proceed. That way, maybe I'd have let you live… you and your fellow freaks."

Another kick. This time to the neck.

Drake rocketed across the top of the ship.

One more blow. That was all that was needed. One more.

"DRAKE!" Another voice, roaring in the Yautja language, rang out.

A second later, Scarface's spear had shot into Yutani and emerged on the other side.

Yutani, though, simply stepped forward, blood coating the spear.

"That it?" he grinned as Scarface stood there, tensed.

Scarface lashed out, his wristblades cutting Yutani across the chest. Yutani grabbed his arm, forcing him down and kneeing him in the throat. He tossed Scarface over him…

Right into the air…

He swung the spear into the air.

The blade cut through Scarface's side, the blood rushing out.

And then, Scarface fell.

Over the edge of the ship.

Drake tried to open up his mouth. Tried to shout.

No sound came.

"Now where was I?" Yutani smirked. "That little girlfriend of yours is a looker, though. I'll give you that."

He leaned right down in Drake's face.

"When you're dead," he whispered, "I'll take _good_ care of her…"

Then something happened that shouldn't have.

Drake's foot struck Yutani in the face, sending him rocketing back.

Drake stood up. His face was… calm. Angry, but… almost flat.

And there was one difference.

His eyes.

They were black. Dark black and shiny.

Like those of a Yautja. He stood calmly as his broken arm hung by his side.

"So there's some fight in you after all." Yutani laughed, lashing out.

Drake caught his fist and elbowed him in the face. He heard Yutani's nose smash to pieces.

A second later, Drake had pulled Scarface's spear from Yutani's hand and stabbed him in the chest. He pulled it out at an angle, bringing blood and guts out with it as Yutani screamed in pain.

Drake's knee shot into Yutani's gored chest. His remaining ribs snapped instantly.

In a second, Yutani was thrown to the floor with a deafening clan. A pool of his blood was already spreading beneath him.

"… Impossible…" Yutani gasped, before Drake kicked him in the face. "P… Please…" He whispered. "M… M… Mercy…"

Drake's face became even angrier as Yutani stood, shambling.

"Mercy…?" Drake repeated, a look of outrage and disgust on his face. His fist immediately struck Yutani between the eyes- wristblades extended, resulting in a gash across his face and one of his eyeballs being thrown out as Yutani screamed.

"You _dare_ to ask for Mercy?"

A stab to the stomach.

"Where was the mercy for Dachande?"

A stab in the side.

"Where was the mercy for Deadstreak?"

A knee in the face.

"Where was the mercy for Scarface?"

A kick in the neck.

"Where was the mercy for the people you took and twisted?"

Suddenly, Drake's entire upper arm plunged into the gaping wound on Yutani's chest.

"When did you show Rebecca any mercy?"

And then, he pulled out the arm.

Circuitry, blood, bone and organs came with it as Yutani's spine snapped, ripping out in Drake's hand.

Yutani's body fell.

Hard.

It didn't rise.

Drake blinked, his eyes instantly normal again.

He dropped Yutani's organs and parts.

He staggered forward… to the edge of the ship.

He fell.

The ground rushed up to meet him.

And then he was out.

* * *

That's my style… one last cliffhanger!

I have wanted to type that up for _ages_. I think I heard Drake's ending rant somewhere before, but who knows where? And yes, Yutani is now well and truly dead.

And even I don't know what'll happen next… keep in touch and ready for the final chapter!

All reviews welcome!


	48. Aftermath

No, your eyes do not deceive you… after a quick update, here it is. The final chapter of Predator: Child of the Hunt. But I'd like to say a few things…

Firstly, there _will_ be a sequel. Fairly soon. So Drake's adventures will continue there… because, believe me, his tale is far from over. What you have seen is but the beginning.

Secondly, I'd just like to say: Thank you to everyone who's read and reviewed this story. Those reviews are my inspiration to keep going with this story, so I thank you all from the bottom of my insane, twisted heart. When I check my Inbox and see the reviews it makes it worth getting up in the morning. So than you all.

Predator, Yautja and all related characters are © 20th Century Fox.

* * *

AFTERMATH

"Drake…?"

Drake stirred in the inky blackness that clouded his mind. Everything was so dark…

"Drake, wake up…"

A voice…

"Drake…"

Rebecca's voice…

Drake's eyes opened slowly to see Rebecca sitting there, her light brown hair hanging loose.

A second later, her lips were on his.

"You're OK…" She gasped happily. "I was so worried…"

"_You_ were worried?" Drake gasped. "God, I almost thought you were…"

Rebecca wrapped her arms around Drake, crying gently until Drake winced.

"Sorry…" She gasped as Drake looked down at himself.

He was wounded badly, but not too badly, considering. A few Medicomps, he imagined. Except…

He felt something painful on his back. As he felt around, he realised what it was.

A thick, ropy scar stretched from his left shoulder down to his right elbow.

"Could've been worse…" Drake sighed. "What about you?"

"I was fine…" Rebecca smiled. "Scarface managed to get that… _thing_ out of me just in time."

"As long as he got it out," Drake sighed. "You're OK, at least."

The door to the medical room opened as Scarface stepped in.

"Scarface," Drake smiled happily. "You're…"

"I'm fine," Scarface answered slowly. "So is Dachande."

Scarface sat down next to Drake as Rebecca walked out and waited a few seconds before speaking.

Drake suddenly felt a dark pit grow in his stomach. It was just as he'd feared…

"Deadstreak's injuries were too great." He said quietly. "He never made it."

Drake leaned back, the tears forming in his eyes. Deadstreak, his rival… had become his friend. And now he'd died in his defence.

His victory had costs.

"That was a brave thing you did."

"Wasn't that hard," Drake half-grinned.

"I mean it. If you hadn't done all that you did… everything on this Colony would be dead."

"How long was it this time?" Drake joked, remembering how he'd blacked out after the Kiande Amedha trial.

"Two weeks."

Drake's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

"You beat him, though. He didn't get up that time."

"Good. If anyone deserved it, he did."

"How much do you remember?"

Drake just shook his head.

"Nothing."

"You did well," Scarface smiled.

"What about Rebecca's family?"

"We'll think of something for her to tell them," Scarface reassured him. "And the Elders want to see you."

"The Elders?" Drake gasped. "What the hell have I done now?"

"Saved an entire planet," Scarface answered. "You are to be honoured. All three of you."

Drake simply turned away. It had been too much to take in… and none of it could change the fact that Deadstreak was dead.

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The Elder stood in the Jiku, looking up as Scarface entered.

"Is the boy well?" The Elder asked.

Scarface simply nodded.

"Good," The Elder said as he rested a long, serrated red-and-gold spear. "This is a fine spear. The symbol of his honour."

Scarface nodded again.

"Elder, I told you what happened…"

"I know." The Elder cut him off. "The boy displayed a reserve of strength that has never been seen in any Yautja before."

"Elder, do you mean…"

"We had our own reasons for accepting the boy, Kura'Tha. Do not forget that."

"Elder, I cannot allow this!" Scarface spoke up. "The boy must know…"

"We cannot tell him." The Elder snapped. "I know it is cruel… but we cannot tell the boy all that is riding on him. We cannot expect him to understand yet."

Scarface looked away.

"Let the boy rest for now." The Elder said calmly. "He has earned it."

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The ship had (somehow) been moved back into the sewer where it had been before. Drake, however, was standing on a rooftop above ground, looking over the city quietly.

A moment later, he felt Rebecca's arms around him from behind.

"You do this often?" She asked softly.

"All the time," Drake said quietly.

Rebecca stood next to him, kissing him on the lips gently.

"Thank you, Drake…" She whispered quietly. "I love you so much…"

Drake kissed her back, suddenly looking away.

"So…" She asked happily, "I guess things go… back to normal for us?"

Drake swallowed a lump in his throat.

"That's the thing…" He answered slowly.

"...What?"

"Rebecca…" Drake said sadly, "You almost died back there. Because of me. I'd never have forgiven myself."

"Well nothing did happen…"

"But it could have. Because we were together, you were nearly killed."

"Drake…" There was fear evident in Rebecca's eyes. "No… you don't have to…"

"I do." Drake answered sadly. "Rebecca…" he looked into her deep, brown eyes. "I love you more than I could ever say. And I don't ever want anything to hurt you…"

"You couldn't promise that anyway," Rebecca insisted. "There's my Dad, and…"

"I can't, Rebecca." Drake answered. "…This is the best thing I can for you."

"What about… this?" Rebecca asked as she clung to him. "When you left for that trial, I missed you so much. Now you want me to just walk away?"

She cried gently, wiping away her tears with one hand.

"Drake…" She sobbed quietly, "…You're all I have."

Drake looked sadly at her.

"I don't want to do this either." Drake whispered. "Leaving you goes against every last part of me. But I can't let you be put in danger."

"No…" Rebecca sobbed. "Please…"

"I don't want to. But I don't have a choice…"

"…I love you…" was all Rebecca could manage.

Drake kissed her one last time.

"I'll always love you." He said quietly.

"We're at School together…" Rebecca cried. "We see each other every day…"

But this was it. This was more than just goodbye.

Drake turned around and walked away.

For good.

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Drake crouched on the edge of the rooftop as he felt something behind him.

"So you ended it with her?" Dachande asked sympathetically.

Drake nodded slowly.

"I had to."

"She still loves you, you know."

"And I love her," Drake answered truthfully. "You never know… considering what it's like out there… well… anything can happen."

Drake couldn't quite help smiling beneath his mask.

Below them, a limo pulled up, several armed men stepping out.

"Not much prey compared to before," Dachande quipped.

"Enough to go around."

They both jumped down toward their prey.

THE END

YAUTJA, PREDATOR, PREDATOR 2, ALIENS VS PREDATOR, PREDATOR: CONCRETE JUNGLE, ALIEN, ALIENS, ALIEN 3, ALIEN: RESURRECTION, XENOMORPH, ALIEN QUEEN, CHESTBURSTER, PRAETORIAN, FACEHUGGER, WEYLAND-YUTANI CORPORATION, BORGIA, MONSTER SQUAD AND ALL RELATED CHARACTERS AND TRADEMARKS ARE © 20TH CENTURY FOX LTD.

DRAKE, DACHANDE AND DEADSTREAK

CREATED BY

JOSEPH MEAD AND JOE HARTWELL

COMING SOON

PREDATOR:

BLOOD WAR

Because every storm's end is another storm's Beginning…


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